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Rena Murshud

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France, which has been pursuing a colonial policy for many centuries, is already experiencing the disintegration of its quasi-empire in modern era. This is especially noticeable among the African states that were once crushed under French rule.

It should be noted that France is the first country among several EU countries that formed the African colonial plan. And due to the colonial activity that it began in 1524, it kept under the wing of its empire more than 20 countries in the west and north of Africa. Thus, 35% of Africa remained under French control for 300 years. In addition to using people as slaves, the French exploited all the natural resources of the region. We will not be mistaken if we say that French colonialism is considered the largest genocide in the history of mankind. Because the name of France is in the first place among the countries in the West that cause the death of millions of people.

France is also one of the centers of such problems as racism, human rights violations, and religious intolerance. Even today, it continues to commit genocide against all Muslims on the basis of racism, in and out of its country.

For example, Ruhullah Mousavi Khomeini was brought to Iran by the hand of France. At present, in Iran, where there is arbitrariness, there is serious pressure on both the Turkish people and the Islamic religion.
In addition, Armenia puts pressure on Azerbaijan and Turkiye, as well as other Turkic states.

As for the countries of the West, a clear example of the disgusting actions of France are the anti-Islamic provocations committed in them (the burning of the Quran, the caricature of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.H), the murder of a Muslim migrant, etc.).

Talking on the above issue, Orientalist-Islamist, Doctor of Philosophy in Theology Mammadali Babashli told to AZERNEWS that the colonial policy implemented by France against the countries located in North Africa was indeed accompanied by great tragedies in human history.

"The first invaded country was Algeria in 1830. According to official figures, this colonialism in Algeria resulted in the murder of 1.5 million people. According to other sources, this number reached 2 million. This process of occupation later encountered resistance from the Algerian people until 1847. Abdul-Qadir, who at that time was a national hero of the Algerian people, led this uprising and fought against the French occupation. Unfortunately, this invasion was due to the weakening of the Ottoman state. France pursued a policy of assimilation with the aim of destroying the religious and national values of the people on the basis of racism and colonialism," the Professor said.

According to M.Babashli, Tunisia was the second country to be invaded by France in 1881. The same colonial policy was carried out there. 31 years later, Morocco became a protectorate under French control. During this period, the French pursued a policy of assimilation in both language and religion.

“I want to note that France even issued a postage stamp depicting the massacre in Morocco. At the same time, the occupation policy pursued by Western countries against the Ottoman Empire after the First World War, and the participation of Senegalese soldiers in Istanbul was carried out by France. Unfortunately, France has not drawn and is not drawing any conclusions from all these tragedies. On the contrary, there is a phrase used by contemporary political scientists against Algerians: "You Algerians should be proud to be a colony of France," Babashli added.

The expert noted that, after England, France took second in terms of geographical area among the countries under its colonial rule. France controls a continent of 150 million people. Of course, the plans included the use of the French language in education.

“I would like to emphasize that in 1984 when I went to Algeria as a translator, I encountered a strange moment like the concept of “5 years of Arabization”. The implication was that under a law passed by France in the 1930s, Algerians who spoke Arabic were punished. Arabic was spoken almost at home or in mosques. For this reason, the population has reached the point that they have forgotten their native language. After Algeria gained independence in 1962, it had already adopted five-year Arabization plans and succeeded in bringing Arabic to the level of the official state language in the country. After the Second World War, during the time of Degol, these colonies began to be liberated. Unfortunately, America did not consider it desirable to completely withdraw France, fearing the strengthening of Soviet influence. It is no secret that France is involved in the state and military coups taking place on the African continent," the professor emphasized.

According to M.Babashli, in order to inform the whole world about these genocides committed by France, we need world historians. In this matter, they have a great responsibility. All these crimes should be investigated in the archives and made public.

"At the moment, work on this is underway. But it needs to be implemented faster and more accurately. On the basis of archival materials, the genocide and massacres organized by the French in these countries should be investigated and translated into different languages and brought to the world community. France should respond to the atrocities it has committed. France must recognize the genocides it has committed and pay compensation to these countries at least in the amount of the damage they have caused," the expert added.

In conclusion, speaking about the current collapse of the French quasi-empire, the expert noted that this is especially noticeable among the African states that were once crushed by French rule.

“Undoubtedly, there are quite a lot of citizens in France from North African countries such as Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. Instead of integrating them, they are being assembled. This, over time, causes legitimate objections from people. This is a serious problem for France itself, given that the wave of protests, swept in France, has engulfed mainly migrants of African origin. It is the bitter consequences of this colonial policy that France is facing today. To do this, these protests must lead to certain concessions from the state and government. France has no other choice. For the moment, the world community should not remain indifferent to this issue. The fate of these people, who came from former colonial countries, must remain in the spotlight," the expert concluded.

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Rena Murshud is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @RenaTagiyeva

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