In the wake of a terrorist’s murder of French school teacher Samuel Paty, French President Emmanuel Macron stood up for freedom of expression and defended France’s tradition of laicism. Simply put, Macron recognizes that religious passion neither can justify murder nor serve as a reason to dilute fundamental individual freedoms.

As Macron has made the defense of democracy and liberalism his brand, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has done the opposite. He cynically uses religion to roll back rights as he consolidates his dictatorship. Macron also presents a useful target as Erdogan seeks to distract Turks from the fact that their currency is in free-fall and their economy teetering on the edge of a precipice.