Policy Brief

INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL POLICY AND UNDERSTANDING POLICY BRIEF May 2007 Policy Brief # 20 Muslims in France: French or Muslim, What Is the Choice? Moushumi Khan ISPU Research Associate The world watched O n October 27, 2005, two French Muslim their frustrations with not being able to find adequate employment or receive other rights as cars burned in boys, Zyed Benna and Bouna Traore, were associated with equal citizenship. the Paris suburbs, rushing to make it home before sunset in order to break their Ramadan fast in the Paris suburb of puzzled as to how Clichy-sous-Bois. They raised the suspicion of The numbers behind the images are as such spontaneous some French policemen, who began to chase follows: Durin g the twent y days of rioting in them. Although it is not quite clear what they had the French banlieues , the suburbs where bursts of violence most French Muslims live, some 10,000 cars done wrong, they knew that getting caught by the were torched, 233 public buildings were could continue police could only mean trouble. Unfortunately, they tried to avoid the police by running into an burned, and 3,200 people (mostly teenagers) night after night electrical shed, where they were both were arrested. These statistics reflect a while the French electrocuted. Their deaths unleashed the situation that French societ y is only just now simmering resentment of French immigrants and confronting. The riots had little to do with government Islam or even with acting out against French exposed France’s inability to deal with its appeared unable to society; the youths only burned cars in their changing demographics. own neighborhoods, while cars are often control them. The world watched as cars burned in the Paris burned during the country’s New Year’s suburbs, puzzled as to how such spontaneous celebrations or sometimes as a cheap bursts of violence could continue night after night method of disposal. It was also clear that while the French government appeared unable to French law enforcement had only a limited abilit y to control the escalating crisis, as it control them. There were the media’s usual cries of “angry, young Muslim men” and questions of has few contacts with the Muslim community, Islam’s compatibility with the West along with the and that it had even less understanding of government’s call for order. Was there something the causes or of possible solutions. This peculiar about French Muslim youth that would latter statement is proven by their request to lead them to burn cars without any seemingly Muslim leaders to calm the youths down. organized demand for redress? It was as if the deaths of these two boys had ignited a sudden Each of these points illustrates the problem’s combustion of anger. complexity. Muslims have been in France for g enerations, but it is not their religion that In fact, the riots were a symptom of the French alienates them from mainstream French society. “Equality” and not “integration” is the 43151 Dalcoma Road, Suite 6 Muslims’ limited integration into the country’s political and economic mainstream. They main issue for them. The degree of Clinton Township Michigan 48038 misinformation and pre judice about Muslims 586-416-1150 www.ispu.us symbolized the French government’s perception of Muslims as a “law and order” problem and as in Europe clouds any examination of the underlying reasons for social unrest. While immigrants who did not wish to integrate. For French Muslims, the riots were the result of the French viewed the initial car burning as INSTITUTE FOR SOCIAL POLICY AND UNDERSTANDING POLICY BRIEF simple hooliganism, in the absence of any commemorate the Algerians’ support during France. Even such companies as the organized statements by the rioters or even World War I, or the fact that the majorit y of international bank HSBC, which offers groups representing their interests, the world France’s twenty-one public holida ys have a Islamic banking services in other countries, watched the violent uprising of angry young basis in Catholicism. It has, however, does not offer this service in France. There Muslim men with horror. The French state resulted in a political culture in which any is some religious accommodation in the and its various agents appeared to have religious identity, particularly Islam, can be non-governmental sector, such as non- been taken by surprise and were ill-prepared suspected as being communitarian and, profits organizing iftars rather than soup to deal with these acts. Nicolas Sarkoz y, the therefore, a threat to the state. kitchens in communities with large poor former interior minister and presidential Muslim populations. candidate, had recentl y dismantled The mere term French Muslim is anathema neighborhood policin g, one of the few links to French political identity. The concept of a The French government has also found between the police and local communities. In community organized along ethnic or ways to work around the restriction on addition, there is little scope to check abusive religious lines, as exists in the United States, state involvement in religious enterprises policing when the state sees law enforcement is in itself abhorrent due to the French belief in certain areas, if not in theory at least in as an extension of itself to enforce its that everyone is equally and foremost practice, such as burials, helping to train policies. French . Not only is there no French imams, and repairing or subsiding (but not counterpart to the National Italian-American building) mosques. In some cases, it has In February 2007, the French courts finally Foundation, there is also no equivalent to the attempted to fund the renovation of charged the policemen who had chased the Council on American-Islamic Relations. In mosques by setting up a foundation to two boys and were originall y only fact, any attempt to or ganize alon g such lines circumvent the law restricting the direct interrogated as witnesses for not assisting a for either professional affiliations (e.g., a financing of religious institutions. French person in danger. Some people feel that Muslim law yers’ organization ) or to pursue a cemeteries, all of which are owned by the things are just as bad, if not worse, than they specific issue (e.g., getting halal food served municipality, allow Muslims and other were before the riots. Sarkozy remarked that in the public schools) would be prohibited as religious groups to be buried close the banlieues are less integrated one year being communitarian. together or to put a religious symbol on after the riots than at the time of the rioters’ their tombs. Fundin g religious schools that grandparents. A few ethnic organizations formed by first- employ government-accredited teachers is g eneration immigrants do exist at the local also allowed, as long as they have been in While the situation for Muslims in the United level; however, they are extremely existence for at least five years. No such States is vastly different from that of their co- fragmented. Even when the French are Muslim schools currently exist, although religionists in France, it is instructive to study aware of ethnic differences, they seem to be there is growing demand for them. the French experience so that American unaware of religious affiliations. This point is policymakers and the public can better underscored by the fact that they did not French Political Identity analyze what works in our own sy stem and know that the star player on their World Cup the implications of failed policies. The Soccer team, Zinedine Zidane, was in fact Despite the stress on a unifying French situation of French Muslims is shaped by not only a beur (Arab) but also a Muslim. identity, not all French are considered France’s political identity and history, which Zidane himself has never raised this, equally French . Being French is not an informs the government’s polic y on although the French Muslim community ethnic or cultural identity, but a political immigrants in general and on Muslims in considers him a special hero. The far Right identit y based on the French Republican particular. The history of this communit y, its politician Jean Marie Le Pen did remark that political values of secularism, equality, and strengths and weaknesses, and how the he was not supportin g the team because, law. In reality, it is a cultural identity that French public and private sector relate to its due to its racial diversity, it did not truly has failed to integrate both Islamic culture members help to complete the picture. represent France. It appears that man y and practices. In spite of this, France’s French Muslims have also internalized the elite and Muslim populations are pleased French Political History idea that French identity has no room for to note that “The Great Divide: How religion or ethnicity, for even when there are Westerners and Muslims View Each France is a nation predicated on the concept no direct barriers to formally organizing along Other,” a Pew Research Global Attitudes of laïcité, the absolute separation of church religious lines, they avoid doing so out of the Project survey released in June 2006, and state. Its 1905 secularism law mandated fear of being perceived as communitarian. revealed that large numbers of French that the French government not fund or Muslims and the general French public felt explicitly support any religious institution or Religious Accommodation of Islamic that there was no conflict between being a enterprise. This did not mean that the state Practices in France devout Muslim and living in a modern must be “anti-religious,” as demonstrated by society.

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