Extreme forms of Islam had led to the murder of journalist Charlie Hebdo in January 2015 and the deaths of hundreds more by a concerted terrorist attack in Paris in November 2015. But the one battle that the militant faith apparently is winning is cultural and ideological, warns French Premier Manuel Valls. During a roundtable session in a conference on Islamism, the Prime MInister maintained that propaganda was turning the hearts and minds of the people to favor the cause of the fanatics.
In the Indian Express' coverage of the conference, Valls specifically pointed to a group, called the Salafists, who were very active in social media. France holds the largest Muslim population in Europe, and the Salafists only make up one percent of it. However, their frequent and persist campaigning in popular social media sites like Twitter are blocking out other messages.
Valls also vowed a "massive" increase in the defense and security budgets, presumably to prevent more incidents like the Hebdo assassination and the French attacks.
In the Times of Israel's coverage of the event, Valls also spoke about the proliferation of the veil often worn by Muslim women. Fashion giants like Dolce Gabbana have come out with their own unique hijab or the headscarves, as well as the burqini or the body-covering lady's swimsuit. The trend appears to be a typical business response to the demands of a growing market.
Though, Valls maintained that the veils are a symbol of oppression that is targetting secular French democracy. He said, "The veil does not represent a fashion fad, no, it's not a color one wears, no: it is enslavement of women."
The Daily Excelsior notes that the Premier's statements may be part of the government effort to crack down on terrorism, an effort which could have been intensified by the Islamic extremist bombings in Brussels last month.
