As the first cracks appear in the “national unity” urged by President François Hollande, the spotlight has been turned on the reaction of French Muslims. Ahead of Sunday's 'Republican march' to show solidarity over the Charlie Hebdo killings, the far right and sections of the Right have called on France's Muslims to condemn the massacre publicly. On the Left, opinions are divided on the issue. Mediapart's Hubert Huertas argues that we are faced with two very different visions of France – one that demands assimilation, the other that embraces diversity.
In the immediate aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo killings the politicians – with the exception of the far-right Front National's president Marine Le Pen – conducted themselves pretty well and spoke of “national unity”. President François Hollande himself said: “It is the entire Republic that has been attacked.” His predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy urged: “I call on the French to reject the temptation to lump ideas together [editor's note, in other words equating Muslims with terrorists].”
