There is a paragraph in the statement attributed to Monsieur Fillon (French PM from May 2007 to May 2012) that caught my eye:
"....if God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your home, because God is part of our culture."
The reason is that the French idea of secularism enshrined in the ideal of laicite has a long history although it was adopted formally into law in 1905 . This clearly calls for the separation of the Church and the State. If Fillon actually said these exact words, he would have triggered a constitutional crisis.
I googled around to see of I can get a reference/link to the transcript of his speech. I could not find any. However, I did find some references to the possibility that this is hoax (this is an online translated version from the French, so there are many grammatical errors). Email chains with a similar message have been doing the rounds attributing them variously to John Howard and Julia Gillard (former Australian PMs), Putin (link) etc.
I cannot comment on M. Fillon's views on Muslim in France but his wiki page has this note, "... he subsequently suggested that Jews and Muslims abandon their traditional food practices (but has since apologized)".
From time to time, right wing French politicians make negative comments on the cherished ideal of laicite and when that happens, there has always been a push back from others to lend an air of balance.This is a deeply held belief in France and something very bad has to happen before the ideal is dropped.
On Wed, Jun 1, 2016 at 8:08 AM, Madhav Segal mnsegal@yahoo.com [bitsremembers] <bitsremembers@yahoogroups.co.in> wrote:
Something to think about!
Surely not too much to ask. At last a Prime Minister with guts.The rest of the world could take a lesson from him.
Hats off to Monsieur Fillon!! Prime Minister of Franc. For once, a French politician has the courage to say out loud what the French think and sometimes cry out about. Interesting approach? Learning to live in peace and harmony ?Muslims who want to live under the law of the 'Islamic Sharia' have recently been told to leave France in order to guard against possible terrorist attacks, the government has targeted radicals.Apparently, the Prime Minister, Francois Fillon has angered some French Muslims in stating: THOSE IMMIGRANTS, WHO ARE NOT FRENCH MUST ADAPT. Take it or leave it, I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Our culture has developed with struggles and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.
Our official language is French, not Spanish, or Lebanese, or Arabic, or Chinese, or Japanese, or any other language.
Therefore, if you want to be part of our society, learn the language! Most French people believe in God.
This is not some Christian obligation, influence by the rightists or political pressure, but it is a fact, because men and
women founded this nation on Christian principles, and this is clearly documented. It is then appropriate to display this on the walls of our schools? if God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your home,
because God is part of our culture.
We will accept your beliefs without question. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in peaceful harmony with us. This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, AND OUR LIFESTYLE. And we offer you the opportunity to enjoy all this.
But if you're tired of our flag, our commitment, our Christian beliefs, or our lifestyle, I strongly encourage you to take advantage of another great French freedom,..... THE RIGHT TO LEAVE. If you are not happy here then LEAVE.
We did not force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU chose.
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Posted by: VV Ramanan <vvr@bitsoftsystems.com>
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