After months of deliberation, deputies of France's National Assembly on Friday passed a controversial law that aims to combat radical Islamism and "strengthen republican principles."
It specifically deals with facilitating the dissolution of associations that question French values, fighting against forced marriages and meting out punishment against online hate speech.
President Emmanuel Macron and his government want to counter the influence of radical Islam where young people are most vulnerable - certain mosques, outside of school and online. Macron announced the new law in October, as he vowed to clamp down on Islamist separatism after a series of attacks claimed the lives of more than 250 people.
"We are giving ourselves the means to fight against those who misuse religion to question the values of the republic," said Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.
While Prime Minister Jean Castex has repeatedly stressed that the law was not directed against religion, critics say that there are elements in it that disadvantage the Muslim part of the population.
Muslim victims
"We will never equate radical Islamism with Muslims, and I believe that Muslims are among the first victims of this ideology," Castex said in an interview with Le Monde newspaper late last year.
Conservatives, on the other hand, consider the law insufficient.
According to a report in Le Figaro newspaper, both the left and the right want to submit an appeal to the Constitutional Council.
