InsightThe French president allies himself with Arab autocrats who subvert democracy at home, and keep Muslims out of Fortress Europe. This is the country where the choice in the last presidential election was between the Islamophobic Neo-Nazi Le Pen and Macron. It’s of no surprise that Macron’s biggest detractor in this saga has been Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The AK Party represented something of a model for these forces, while Turkey under the governance of the AK Party has for its own reasons supported democratic forces in the Arab spring era. Though Islamophobia in France is its own animal, one that is reflected in a spectrum comprising centrists to Neo-Nazis, Macron’s attempts to ideologically and legally assault French Muslims must thus be seen through this lens.

Source: The North Africa Journal October 29, 2020 13:41 UTC