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Dialogue or Devastation: Two Paths at Stake in France

Bhuwan Thapaliya - 4/3/2006

Unlike the multicultural approach of the United States and Britain, the aim of France, according to some analysts, has been to elide, or gloss over, the particular cultural and religious backgrounds of immigrants to make them indistinguishable from the natives, as the French have long prided themselves on their ability to weave foreign settlers into the seamless fabric of society.

The French model of assimilation, however, does not go so far as to require conversion to Roman Catholicism -- their dominant faith, i.e., in strictly secular France, all faiths are tolerated, and religious practice is expected to be discreet and restricted to the private sphere.

France undoubtedly has the biggest Islamic community in Western Europe, and, as a faith, Islam is now second only to Roman Catholicism there. It is nonetheless difficult to generalize about Muslims in France, because they come from more than 120 different countries and belong to a variety of ethnic groups such as blacks, Asians, Arabs, Europeans, etc.

Moreover, it has been reported that large numbers of Muslims began immigrating to France only after World War II. They were then welcomed as needed manpower during France's "thirty glorious years" of fast economic growth, but began to encounter hostility after the economic crisis caused by the first oil shock in the early 1970s, much to the dismay of the thousands who had shed rivers of sweat for the development of France.

It has been reported, furthermore, that most of France's Muslims came from former French colonies in North Africa, notably Algeria, or from Turkey, but now, around half are French citizens, having been born in France or otherwise having acquired French nationality.

But the greatest dilemma is that many on the streets of Paris unfortunately do not bother with such apparent distinctions, and, for them, "Muslim" is virtually synonymous with "Arab."

More precisely, neither word has positive connotations for the French, both because of painful memories of their colonial past (especially the 1954-62 Algerian Civil War) and because of the recent rise of Islamic extremism around the world and its association with global terrorism.

"Most of the French thinks that France has too many Arabs and too may Muslims. They frankly have feelings of antipathy for the 'Maghrebins' (Arabs from France's former North African colonies)," according to social observers.

The rise in unemployment, however, has brought with it accusations that the immigrants are stealing French jobs and sponging off the state, and as a result most French are demanding that Muslims integrate themselves into French society. This is rejected by some French and Muslims, saying that the differences in culture are too great.

The earlier immigrants tended to keep their religion to themselves, but over the past decade Muslims in France have become more assertive and more openly devout, as seen from this statistic -- in the mid-1970s there were only about a dozen mosques and prayer rooms in France. Today they number in the thousands.

Muslims, however, whether Arab or black, aren't the problem, nor can their contribution to the development of France be overlooked. Taking this into account, they should be given an equal opportunity to excel in their respective fields. This is the core crisis at the root of the massive unemployment engulfing France at present.

For the second time in less than four months, however, a furious tussle between the riot police and rampaging youths is filling the streets, as university students protest against the government's assault on their job security.

This is the new brawl taking center stage after last November's massive street riots, when emigre North African youths in the suburbs of Paris exploded in frustration at the lack of job prospects.

This time around, French university students are taking the streets by storm, because a new law allows employers to fire workers under 26 within the first two years of employment without having to give a reason.

"The students refute this government's prospective law, saying that there is a downside to the law as the young workers could be fired on a whim," according to media reports.

Meanwhile, as the situation gets worse with each day, both parties -- the students and the French government -- should have a dialogue at the earliest possible opportunity and resolve the real problem facing contemporary France, because the immediate beneficiaries of their rivalry appear to be national and international forces opportunistically fishing in the muddy waters of the French problem.

Analysts claim this is easier said than done and that the street riots are not due to taper off; anyone observing the tension between the university students, jobless youths of the suburbs, and the French government thinks that the situation will get worse.

Such is the enmity between them that it could jeopardize any prospect of a peaceful solution to the problem, as long as the French government neglects the massive unemployment of recent years.

Finally, there are only two choices before France: dialogue or devastation. Two paths are at stake here, and it is important not to muddle them.