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French press review 21 November 2015

Most papers take the opportunity to look back on the week since the tragic Paris killings, the accounts suggesting that the nation is defiant and united, even if somewhat isolated in the international battle against Islamist extremism.

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The main story in right-wing Le Figaro says the French authorities are keeping a close watch on mosques where radical Islam is being promoted.

The conservative paper notes that the number of prayer-rooms under Salafist influence has risen from 30 to at least 150 over the past decade.

Le Figaro is careful to point out that not all Salafists are dangerous. The paper headlines its analysis piece "Salafism, an anti-modern movement divided between jihadists and 'quietists'."

The term Salafism come from the Arabic Salaf al-salih (the holy ancestors) and members of the movement reject the confessional division into Sunni and Shia, proposing a strict reading of the Koran as interpreted in the three generations after the birth of the prophet Mohammed as the only basis for the Muslim faith.

Salafists have a real problem fitting into Western society since they adhere to sharia law and are opposed to any cooperation with civil powers which do not respect their archaic interpretation of the Koran.

The important point is that, under the emergency laws put in place in the wake of last Friday's Paris attacks, suspect mosques in the cities of Brest, Nice and the Paris suburb of Aubervilliers have been raided by the police, with suspect material being taken away in each case.

Le Figaro accepts that the real problem is that posed by the huge presence of radical Islam on the internet, with sites accessible by smartphone propounding a message that is, effectively, beyond the control of a government that defends freedom of speech and is against censorship.

In Le Figaro's online poll on the control of jihadist sites, with 32,733 participants, 96 per cent are in favour of a total block.

Libération's front page looks back on a tough emotional week for France and asks readers how they are doing.

People are quite clearly putting a brave face on a difficult situation. The crowd at last night's football match between Nice and Lyon sang the national anthem with gusto, scrupulously respected the minute's silence in respect of the Paris victims, and then enthusiastically, if none too politely, chanted to inform Islamic State what they can do with themselves.

So, spirits are high, bars and cafés are crowded, the atmosphere is one of unity and defiance.

But let us not forget that 130 lives were lost, and 350 people were seriously injured, almost 100 of them still in critical condition in hospital.

Libération's editorial says that the past week has sharpened the fault lines which divide French society.

On one side, those who want to abolish the Schengen no-border zone, who want to ban all refugees, who suspect all Muslims. On the other side, those who respect the letter and the law of the republican project, open, equal, fraternal and fun.

Catholic La Croix similarly says fraternity is the only answer in the face of violence and fear.

Le Figaro's editorial says France is isolated. The right-wing paper links the Paris attacks, yesterday's hostage-taking in the Malian capital and the war in Syria, suggesting that the country is in a state of total war, fighting inside and outside the national territory, with battles raging on the ideological and military fronts.

The enemy is multiple, the danger amplified by the nature and the scale of the current threat.

The neighbours have promised to help. Thanks very much, says Le Figaro, but most of them seem to be keeping their heads down, hoping to avoid a visit from the terrorist death squads by keeping a low profile. Even the Americans are looking elsewhere, leaving France very much alone, says Le Figaro.

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