DEGRADATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

The murder of a French schoolteacher was another tragic event that reveals the depth of intercultural contradictions within the modern Western society. Ongoing tension between France and its Muslim community raises the question of whether the current neoliberal West is able to adequately respond to terrorism. Because, by and large, this threat is a product of the policies and provocative actions of the Euro-Atlantic centers.

Samuel Paty, a lecturer at the Conflans-Sainte-Honorine College near Paris, was decapitated by an 18-year-old radical Islamist of Chechen nationality born in Moscow, Russia – Abdullah Anzorov. He has lived in France for 12 years as a refugee and was shot dead during the arrest. The 47-year-old teacher of history, geography and civil society was killed because he showed the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad from Charlie Hebdo in his class.

Certainly, the assassination of Paty provoked the outrage of the French society. The streets of were teeming with posters No to totalitarianism of thought during the mass demonstration in honor of Paty. Among the participants were many Muslims holding placards I am a Muslim and I am Pati. It is not surprising, since the overwhelming majority of the country's Muslim community, following the traditions of Islam, condemns terror and a murder of any person. However, the French authorities' reaction to the crime suggests that the country's Muslim population should still expect impressive pressure from the authorities.

French President Emmanuel Macron called the assassination of Paty "a characteristic Islamist terrorist act". He demanded that the security forces immediately intensify the fight against terrorism. Among the initial measures is the deportation of 231 foreigners "suspected of extremist religious beliefs." Of these, 180 are in prisons, and another 51 extremists were ordered to be arrested immediately. At the same time, the French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin instructed the relevant services to study the requests of applicants for refugee status in France more closely.

Among the measures indicated, special attention is paid to enhancing the security of educational institutions. In addition, France will significantly expand control over the social networks. Police continues nationwide raids to the so-called Islamist networks. Authorities were prompted to take this step after over 20 messages in support of the murderer appeared on social networks immediately after Paty's murder. But even when Paty was alive, the father of one of his students launched an aggressive campaign of hatred against the teacher on social networks. One of those who actively communicated with the student's parent for several days before the assault on Paty was his killer.

French Minister in charge of Citizenship, Marlene Schiappa, has summoned the heads of French social media and Internet platforms to demand the tools to fight cyber-Islamism. The minister claims that young people are becoming radical not in mosques, prisons or at special meetings, but right at home, in front of a computer screen. The initiative voiced by the authorities to create a special police that would control social networks is also noteworthy. Leading politicians call for the partial limitation of anonymity on the Internet, which implies that users should disclose their identity to the provider.

On the whole, there is no disagreement in the French leadership that the fight against radical Islam should become more decisive. President Macron declared that ‘Islamists should not be allowed to sleep peacefully in our country," while Minister Darmanin declared ‘not a minute's respite for enemies of the Republic.’

But is it possible to achieve real and long-term success in the fight against terrorism, which shelters behind religious slogans, when insulting the feelings of believers is becoming a norm in the society? Let alone the serious political, social and economic factors contributing to the spread of terrorism, which exists largely as a result of the policies of the Western states, including France.

Any form of terrorism, including the acts committed in the name of Islam based on misconceptions about the religion, deserves the strongest condemnation. But, at the same time, the shocking murder of the French teacher poses another problem: to what extent the approach rooted in neoliberal societies, which recognises niether taboos nor restrictions on issues that might be offensive to the feelings of the faithful, are justified, lawful and reasonable both politically and morally?

The terrorist killed the teacher, who showed his students the cartoons of Prophet Muhammad, hence promoting the act offensive to the feelings of the Muslims as normal. The criminal nature of the murder, even for religious reasons, raises no doubts. But are not the actions that directly provoke the commission of the evil criminal either? Do the countries that consider themselves the forerunners of democracy do any good by acknowledging an incitement to religious hatred as a norm. After all, cartoons depicting Islamic shrines can be unambiguously regarded as such triggers.

Why does not Charlie Hebdo hold responsible for what it does legally, despite its regular ‘creative impulses’ that ignore any ethical norms and even such a basic principle of democracy as respect for the feelings of fellow citizens? By the way, the Muslim community of France is about six million people (10% of the country's population), who legally demand respect for their religious values.

If we take a look at freedom through one of its cornerstone principles, which is ‘one person’s freedom ends where another one’s begins’, can we consider the liberties making fun of the freedom of religion a manifestation of the freedom of speech?

Minister Darmanin stubbornly insists that it is still possible to distribute cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad and show them in French schools. But he is outraged by the availability of halal products in stores... Is this the real face of European tolerance? Should we get surprised when Islamophobia and racism are becoming increasingly popular in the continent, which once gave birth to the evil called fascism?!

Certainly, we must admit the flip side to the problem. By allowing for decades a massive inflow of migrants from Africa and Asia, France, like a number of other Western European countries, has nevertheless been unable to provide them with the optimal level of assimilation with the local society. As a result, the whole generations of migrants or people from migrant families found themselves pushed into the outskirts of the European society, deprived of socio-economic comfort meeting the European standards with the hatred, rejection and resentment towards the traditions of recipient countries growing inside many of those migrants. The latter sometimes finds its radical manifestations in the form of aggression.

Recently, French President Emmanuel Macron called Islam a religion ‘in crisis’ on a global scale. But isn't the West behind the global conflicts unfolding in a number of Muslim countries? Conflicts that generate terrorist hordes like ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Jabhat al-Nusra and so on...

Also, the so-called ‘Muslim threat’ seems to be turning into a very convenient tool for the internal political struggle in European countries. For example, Macron’s declared war against ‘radical Islamism’ clearly strips off the electoral aspect of this campaign. In the upcoming presidential elections, Macron will need the votes of nationalist voters traditionally claimed by his main opponent, the leader of the ultra-right Marine Le Pen. In response to the assassination of Samuel Paty, she called for the adoption of ‘martial law’ to combat the terrorist threat. Therefore, it is likely  that in the next two years, the French politics will be characterised by a competition between Macron and Le Pen on the path of the anti-Muslim rhetoric.

The recent incident near the Eiffel Tower, when two French women attacked two Arab women with knives, clearly shows the expected result of such political manipulations. Apparently, it gets increasingly hot inside the French, and more broadly – the European melting pot.