Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - On 9 December, the French government accepted for consideration a bill "On strengthening republican principles" aimed at combating "Islamist separatism".

The cabinet is expected to back the bill, after which it will go to parliament early next year for discussion.

I. The draft law, the essence of which is to "contain Islamist separatism and extremism" and to protect the secular values of the republic, includes a number of areas.

1. Education is the main direction:

- restriction of home education, allowing it only for medical reasons. Children from the age of three will have to attend "republican" schools; (Currently 50,000 French children are homeschooled.)

- strengthening of control and supervision over private educational institutions in their adherence to state academic programs; (1,700 private schools, a third of which are religious, bring together 85,000 children.)

- coverage of identification numbers of all students.

2. Neutrality in the provision of public services:

- the dissolution of sports clubs, cultural associations, religious gatherings that disrespect the laws of France, including for extremist views, incitement to violence, racism, anti-Semitism, “constant psychological pressure” on members or inequality between men and women;

- conducting separate interviews by city halls before the wedding to ensure that there is no coercion to marry and prohibiting the issuance of residence documents to applicants with more than one wife, as well as criminal punishment of doctors for conducting tests for "virginity";

- rejection of confessional menus in canteens and a ban on separate visits to wimming pools for men and women.

3. Internet control:

- prohibition of materials on the Internet with incitement to hatred;

- the requirement to publish personal data;

- the formation of a subdivision in the prosecutor's office for control.

4. Strengthening control over religious sites:

- closure of places of worship in case of preaching extremism; (French Foreign Ministry plans to inspect 76 mosques. 18 mosques may be closed in the near future.)

- a ban on the work of foreign imams; (Until now, training for imams has been organized abroad. More than 300 imams from Turkey, Morocco and Algeria operate in French mosques.)

- obligatory declaration of donations from abroad;

- strengthening the role of the administrative authorities in exercising control over the activities of religious sites.

II. The actions of the French government caused a mixed reaction in the world and in the country itself.

1. In many Muslim countries, protests took place (Libya, Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iraq and others).

2. The position of the French leader was condemned by human rights organizations. Thus, the US special envoy for international religious freedom noted that religious groups have the right to freedom of religion, and they "must be respected and protected by the state."

3. At the same time, some world leaders expressed support for E. Macron. Thus, the Prime Minister of India N. Modi, in a telephone conversation on December 7 with the President of France, expressed support for France's fight against terrorism, extremism and radicalism.

4. The Council of State of France, which advises the government and the National Assembly on future laws, has already made it clear that parts of the bill, especially with regard to education, may conflict with the principle of freedom of choice enshrined in the French constitution.

On the whole, observers call the draft law on strengthening secular principles (in the original edition - "Law against separatism") the most important and most controversial initiative of E. Macron. According to human rights activists, if the law is passed, Muslims in France will find themselves in a "clearly oppressed position" compared to other religions. (There are about 4 million Muslims in France, or 6% of the population.)