I have a question I'd like to ask that will most likely start a struggle session, but i'ma ask anyway: do you guys believe that there is a problem of Islamic extremism in France and, if so, how do you think it ought to be addressed? I am not saying France doesn't have issues with racism and Islamophobia, because they obviously do, and I also do think that Macron's recent use of the term "islamo-leftism" to denounce gender, race, and post-colonial studies is both racist and hilariously stupid. With that said, what do you guys think is the best way to address the recent killings?
Also, at the risk of greatly increasing the possibility of a struggle session, I may as well ask if/how the issue of terrorism in Xinjiang compares to the situation in France, and whether a similar re-education policy would useful. Also I swear I'm not trying to be inflammatory, I've just been mulling this over and this is basically the only place on the internet where I can ask these questions and expect sane responses. Thanks for reading.
Long term, I don't think it will work in Xinjiang. China's trying to brute force the problem. Massive surveillance, massive incarceration, massive expansion of the police force. I don't think that's sustainable.
The French deradicaliszation camps were voluntary, so hardly anyone showed up. Those that did probably weren't the problem.
If France were to implement the Xinjiang methods, a few key differences would be apparant. First, they wouldn't invest in Muslim-inhabited neighborhoods like China is. Partially for reasons of racism, partially for reasons of neoliberalism. Second, China's leadership is not religious. Macron is openly Catholic and even got ordained by the Pope on a diplomatic mission. What in China is an antiterrorism campaign would, in France, be a religious crusade.