In his 9 December speech on the Swiss minaret ban, Nicholas Sarkozy has turned the discourse in France to one of national identity and integration, according to this Le Monde editorial.
In particular, Sarkozy redefined French secularism as “the principle of neutrality and not a principle of indifference” toward religious faiths, and called on Muslims to respect the French “social and civic pact”.
He addressed his Muslims “compatriots” specifically, calling for them to respect secularism and assuring a move toward fighting against all discrimination they face.
There are approximately 4000 Catholic religious spaces in the country and 2368 Muslim spaces.
