President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to deliver a keynote speech on Islam in France is the latest in a long line of initiatives to deal with the tangled history of relations with Europe’s largest Muslim population.
Determined to assert himself as a boldly reforming head of state, Mr Macron’s declared aim is to find accommodation between different religions but also between those who worship and non-believers.
At the same time, the centrist president believes, France must tackle real or perceived issues with fundamental strands of Islam.
As Mr Macron will quickly discover, the success or failure of his mission may depend on how well he performs a delicate balancing act.