freedom of conscience

Newspaper Liberation just offered an opinion column to Georges Fenech under the heading “France is at the avant-garde in the fight against sects”.

In this column, the Chairman of the Miviludes announces that the “list of reference” on sects (which Matignon had refused to publish) could however be “consulted on request”.

A sentence by G. Fenech made our blood boil: The list could be consulted by “local elected officials who often ask us about the lease of a room for a conference or to approve a day care centre worker or a child minder. What? Since when the religious or philosophical convictions of a child minder are criteria for approval? It would be good to remind Georges Fenech that the CNIL intervened to have the Conseil Général of Eure put back on post in June 2007 a social worker who had been sacked because her file mentioned she was a Jehovah Witness. The letter of the Services Director of the Conseil General to the social worker states: “to answer your claim, I inform you that all mentions to your religious links have been deleted from your file pursuant to Article 8 of the 06/01/78 Act amended in August 2004 and to Article 18 paragraph 2 of the July 13, 1983 Act on the rights and duties of civil servants. It seems indispensable to mention this warning on the “reference list” to dampen the enthusiasm of over zealous elected officials!

In his column Georges Fenech criticises the education of Jehovah Witnesses offspring. According to him, the latter won’t participate to social life “since birthdays, Christmas and other festivities are forbidden”. Since when Christmas is a social obligation in a secular state? There are still many communities who do not celebrate Christmas!

We shall end with the remarks of an Internet surfer from Quebec who reacted to Georges Fenech’s statements. His remarks come under “hackneyed phrases and dullness”. Note that Quebec has always refused to finance the “fight against sects” with public funds. As the Ministry of Health answered to an “anti-sect” association requesting for subsidies: “It is not within the duties of the Ministry of Health and of Social Services to get involved in a field where freedom of religion and its different practices are questioned”.

Reaction of a Quebecois to G. Fenech

The Miviludes works on setting up a “referential” on sects – what a scholarly and laborious connotation! It does have a hint of class, doesn’t it, for we wonder at the Galilean list focusing on fixed stars… But quite so, the Miviludes notes with finesse that it is question of fluctuating movements and worries about their possible stigmatisation. But, let’s see, I thought it was the goal behind, of doing what ever it would take, to stigmatise some of these movements? Except that it becomes difficult to practise this sport in the open light because of the watchfulness of some, ever ready to point with the finger at blatant violations of human rights. Then the Miviludes resorts to a much better solution, a well tested method that we could call “darkness defamation”.

A report available to the institutions concerned, i.e. the ones which have the power to use this stigmatisation in a way economically and socially effective so that they can hurt as much as possible the targeted movements (and French citizens in the end). So masked, in the shade, the report will not be much questioned; but it will be more efficient for the venom of darkness is a much better poison.

An observation of marvellous ingenuousness: The Jehovah Witnesses tell their offspring that school teachings are not true! What, then! Because for all the other teenagers not “sectarianised” they are the word of the gospel (do a survey if you don’t believe it) ! They at least are not torn apart by truths they have to face!

Finally what an understatement: France “at the avant-garde in the fight against sectarian abuses!” Indecent translation: France, the land of modern witch hunts! Let’s call a spade a spade, if you may? And, since Denmark is quoted : (Georges Fenech criticises the US and Denmark for their too great freedom of religion) which has the bad taste of being aligned on American policy on human rights and fundamental liberties; let’s note that in the list of corruption 2008 of the NGO Transparency International, which is an authority as a tool to measure the degree of transparency of country institutions, Denmark is on the top group at 9.3 and we have to go down to the 23rd position to find France, between Chile and Barbados … but Mr Fenech suggest adopting “European programs” to narrow the gap of these regrettable differences.