“Stop the spread of Islamism!” cries President Macron. As with all the previous calls, nothing will most likely happen. Nevertheless, it is not meaningless.
First, a note on terminology: An Islamist is not necessarily the same as a jihadist. An Islamist is a devout Muslim who wants to practise Islam in their life as described in the holy scriptures and as agreed upon by religious authorities across the Islamic world. While an Islamist may participate in violent jihad, this is not necessarily the case.
Put simply, an Islamist will only behead his immoral daughter, whereas a jihadist will also set off a bomb.
According to Madjid Nawaz, many Islamists oppose violent jihad because they fear it will bring lunatics to power who interpret certain passages of the holy scriptures differently to them. Let us not forget that Muslims’ favourite pastime is to declare each other apostates and kill each other.
So, when France’s multicultural president openly labels Orthodox Muslims as a threat, it shows that the social situation there is very different from the situation in the UK. Such statements would land you in jail in France, and it is unthinkable that a public figure would make them. Even Nigel Farage has never gone further than criticising ‘extremists’. Across the social spectrum, the entire upper class is united in accepting Islamism as the state ideology.
I am not saying that the French will ultimately resist Islamisation, but they are still a nation with life in them. This is in contrast to the English, whose power and financial elite have already accepted defeat.