Dozens of activists rallied in Paris on Sunday demanding the French government to abandon the&nbsp;anti-extremism bill aimed at rooting out Islamist radicalism.

President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist government argues that the anti-extremism bill is needed to protect French values like gender equality and secularism.

Scrubbing France clean of radicals and their breeding grounds is a priority for President Emmanuel Macron in a nation bloodied by terror attacks, including the beheading of a teacher outside his school in a Paris suburb in October, followed by a deadly attack inside the basilica in Nice.

WATCH|

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The proposed legislation is intended to re-anchor secularism in a changing France, where Muslims are increasingly visible and Islam&nbsp;the nation's No. 2 religion&nbsp;is gaining a stronger voice.

It is a response to a series of jihadist terror attacks in France that have killed more than 250 people since 2015.

The legislation, expected to pass Tuesday's vote in the lower house of parliament, will also expand the crackdown.

Along with the bill, contested by some Muslims, politicians and others, such strong-arm inspections risk accentuating the climate of suspicion many Muslims feel in a country where the vast majority of Muslims don't hold extremist views.

According to&nbsp;Nagib Azergui, founder of the Union of the French Muslim Democrats (UDMF), "This bill tends to criminalize, or at least render suspicious, all Muslim citizens due to their practice, which makes it a law of exception inside the Republic.''

The draft bill was introduced in December 2020 after a string of Islamist terror attacks across France.

The purpose of the bill is to arm France against radicalism. It targets home schools&nbsp;mosques and associations that promulgate an ideology running contrary to French values.

It will clamp down on home-schooling of children that are over three&nbsp;years of age, punish doctors who provide virginity certificates to Muslim women, make hate speech a punishable offence with 3 years of imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euros,&nbsp;refuse residence permits for immigrants practising polygamy, increase penalties or simply shut down places of worship found peddling hate, prohibit religious symbols like the hijab in all public and&nbsp;private-sector jobs and control the foreign funding of Islamic institutes and associations in France.

France has suffered due to Islamic extremism more than any European country and it needs to take tough measures to rein in radicals.

At the same time,&nbsp;it must ensure that progressive french Muslims do not become collateral damage.

In an election year, President Macron must get the balance right. His bill and its implementation may well provide a playbook to the west on dealing with radicalism.

Dozens of activists rallied in Paris on Sunday demanding the French government to abandon the anti-extremism bill aimed at rooting out Islamist radicalism. President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist government argues that the anti-extremism bill is needed to protect French values like gender equality and secularism.

Dozens of activists rallied in Paris on Sunday demanding the French government to abandon the anti-extremism bill aimed at rooting out Islamist radicalism. President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist government argues that the anti-extremism bill is needed to protect French values like gender equality and secularism. Scrubbing France clean of radicals and their breeding grounds is a priority for President Emmanuel Macron in a nation bloodied by terror attacks, including the beheading of a teacher outside his school in a Paris suburb in October, followed by a deadly attack inside the basilica in Nice. WATCH| The proposed legislation is intended to re-anchor secularism in a changing France, where Muslims are increasingly visible and Islam the nation's No. 2 religion is gaining a stronger voice. It is a response to a series of jihadist terror attacks in France that have killed more than 250 people since 2015. The legislation, expected to pass Tuesday's vote in the lower house of parliament, will also expand the crackdown. Along with the bill, contested by some Muslims, politicians and others, such strong-arm inspections risk accentuating the climate of suspicion many Muslims feel in a country where the vast majority of Muslims don't hold extremist views. According to Nagib Azergui, founder of the Union of the French Muslim Democrats (UDMF), "This bill tends to criminalize, or at least render suspicious, all Muslim citizens due to their practice, which makes it a law of exception inside the Republic.'' The draft bill was introduced in December 2020 after a string of Islamist terror attacks across France. The purpose of the bill is to arm France against radicalism. It targets home schools mosques and associations that promulgate an ideology running contrary to French values. It will clamp down on home-schooling of children that are over three years of age, punish doctors who provide virginity certificates to Muslim women, make hate speech a punishable offence with 3 years of imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euros, refuse residence permits for immigrants practising polygamy, increase penalties or simply shut down places of worship found peddling hate, prohibit religious symbols like the hijab in all public and private-sector jobs and control the foreign funding of Islamic institutes and associations in France. France has suffered due to Islamic extremism more than any European country and it needs to take tough measures to rein in radicals. At the same time, it must ensure that progressive french Muslims do not become collateral damage. In an election year, President Macron must get the balance right. His bill and its implementation may well provide a playbook to the west on dealing with radicalism.

Macron's new anti-extremism bill sparks fresh protests in France

French Prime Minister&nbsp;Jean Castex on Wednesday defended the anti-extremism bill combatting "radical Islamism" as the ''law of freedom''.

After a spate of attacks, which critics fear risks targeting all Muslims, France argues the legislation is needed to shore up the country's staunchly secular system but the plan has further stirred up social tensions over the consequences for Europe's largest Muslim community.

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"The enemy of the Republic is a political ideology called radical Islamism, which aims to divide the French among themselves," Prime Minister Jean Castex told Wednesday's edition of Le Monde.

France argues&nbsp;that rather than targeting Muslims the anti-extremism bill aims&nbsp;to "free Muslims from the growing grip of radical Islamism".

The legislation will be discussed at a cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace with Castex announcing the outcome in the early afternoon.

It&nbsp;has&nbsp;been criticised by Muslim leaders including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan while on Tuesday the US envoy on international religious freedom said he was concerned by the bill.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-gives-ultimatum-to-french-council-of-muslim-faith-344419">France gives ultimatum to French Council of Muslim Faith</a>

"There can be constructive engagements that I think can be helpful and not harmful," Ambassador Sam Brownback told reporters.

"When you get heavy-handed, the situation can get worse," he said.

'Strengthen republican values'

The text was originally titled the "anti-separatism" bill, using a term President Emmanuel Macron&nbsp;uses to describe ultra-conservative Muslims withdrawing from mainstream society.&nbsp;

Following criticism of that term, it is now called a "draft law to strengthen republican values", mostly secularism and freedom of expression.

The law was in the pipeline before the murder in October of Samuel Paty, a junior high school teacher who was attacked in the street and beheaded after showing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a class.

But the killing, committed by an 18-year old Chechen after a virulent social media campaign against the teacher, gave fresh impetus to the bill, prompted the inclusion of the specific crimes of online hate speech and divulging personal information on the internet.

Paty's death is one in a string of jihadist-inspired attacks in France this year including a knife assault outside the former offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine and deadly stabbings at a church in the Mediterranean city of Nice.

The draft law sets out stricter criteria for authorising home schooling of children over three years old in a bid to prevent parents taking their children out of public schools and enrolling them in underground Islamic facilities.

Doctors, meanwhile, would be fined or jailed if they performed a virginity test on girls.

Polygamy is already outlawed in France, but the new law would also ban authorities from issuing residency papers to polygamous applicants.

It would also require city hall officials to interview couples separately prior to their wedding to make sure that they were not forced into marriage.

'Open provocation'

Macron has become a figure of hate in some Muslim countries, with some boycotting French products, after saying that the right to blaspheme would always be guaranteed in France and that Islam was "in crisis".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called the draft law an "open provocation", while scholars at Egypt's prestigious Sunni Islamic institution, Al-Azhar, called Macron's views "racist".

Macron has also been forced onto the defensive by critical headlines in influential English-language media, such as the Financial Times and New York Times.

Muslims in France -- the former colonies of which include predominantly Muslim countries in north and west Africa as well as the Middle East -- are estimated at nearly four million, about six percent of the population.

Once, as is expected, the cabinet backs the draft law, it heads to parliament at the start of next year for what promises to be a heated debate.

France's state council, which advises the government and the National Assembly on future laws, has already signalled that some parts of the bill, especially on education, may clash with the principle of freedom of choice enshrined in the French constitution.

&nbsp;

French Prime Minister Jean Castex on Wednesday defended the anti-extremism bill combatting "radical Islamism" as the ''law of freedom''. After a spate of attacks, which critics fear risks targeting all Muslims, France argues the legislation is needed to shore up the country's staunchly secular system but the plan has further stirred up social tensions over the consequences for Europe's largest Muslim community.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex on Wednesday defended the anti-extremism bill combatting "radical Islamism" as the ''law of freedom''. After a spate of attacks, which critics fear risks targeting all Muslims, France argues the legislation is needed to shore up the country's staunchly secular system but the plan has further stirred up social tensions over the consequences for Europe's largest Muslim community. "The enemy of the Republic is a political ideology called radical Islamism, which aims to divide the French among themselves," Prime Minister Jean Castex told Wednesday's edition of Le Monde. France argues that rather than targeting Muslims the anti-extremism bill aims to "free Muslims from the growing grip of radical Islamism". The legislation will be discussed at a cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace with Castex announcing the outcome in the early afternoon. It has been criticised by Muslim leaders including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan while on Tuesday the US envoy on international religious freedom said he was concerned by the bill. Also read: France gives ultimatum to French Council of Muslim Faith "There can be constructive engagements that I think can be helpful and not harmful," Ambassador Sam Brownback told reporters. "When you get heavy-handed, the situation can get worse," he said. 'Strengthen republican values' The text was originally titled the "anti-separatism" bill, using a term President Emmanuel Macron uses to describe ultra-conservative Muslims withdrawing from mainstream society. Following criticism of that term, it is now called a "draft law to strengthen republican values", mostly secularism and freedom of expression. The law was in the pipeline before the murder in October of Samuel Paty, a junior high school teacher who was attacked in the street and beheaded after showing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a class. But the killing, committed by an 18-year old Chechen after a virulent social media campaign against the teacher, gave fresh impetus to the bill, prompted the inclusion of the specific crimes of online hate speech and divulging personal information on the internet. Paty's death is one in a string of jihadist-inspired attacks in France this year including a knife assault outside the former offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine and deadly stabbings at a church in the Mediterranean city of Nice. The draft law sets out stricter criteria for authorising home schooling of children over three years old in a bid to prevent parents taking their children out of public schools and enrolling them in underground Islamic facilities. Doctors, meanwhile, would be fined or jailed if they performed a virginity test on girls. Polygamy is already outlawed in France, but the new law would also ban authorities from issuing residency papers to polygamous applicants. It would also require city hall officials to interview couples separately prior to their wedding to make sure that they were not forced into marriage. 'Open provocation' Macron has become a figure of hate in some Muslim countries, with some boycotting French products, after saying that the right to blaspheme would always be guaranteed in France and that Islam was "in crisis". Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called the draft law an "open provocation", while scholars at Egypt's prestigious Sunni Islamic institution, Al-Azhar, called Macron's views "racist". Macron has also been forced onto the defensive by critical headlines in influential English-language media, such as the Financial Times and New York Times. Muslims in France -- the former colonies of which include predominantly Muslim countries in north and west Africa as well as the Middle East -- are estimated at nearly four million, about six percent of the population. Once, as is expected, the cabinet backs the draft law, it heads to parliament at the start of next year for what promises to be a heated debate. France's state council, which advises the government and the National Assembly on future laws, has already signalled that some parts of the bill, especially on education, may clash with the principle of freedom of choice enshrined in the French constitution.

Enemy of the Republic is political ideology called radical Islamism: French PM Castex

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Macron's new anti-extremism bill sparks fresh protests in France

Enemy of the Republic is political ideology called radical Islamism: French PM Castex