Islamophobia in France holds a particularly political significance since France has the largest proportion of Muslims in the Western world, primarily due to the migration from Maghrebi, West African, and Middle Eastern countries. The existence of discrimination against Muslims is reported by the media in the Muslim world and by the perceived

segregation Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of human ...

and alienation of

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

within the French community. The belief that there is an anti-Muslim climate in France is heavily criticised by some members of the French Muslim community who terms it an 'exaggeration'. Some French people hold a belief that Islam is opposed to

secularism Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened ...

and

modernity Modernity, a topic in the humanities and social sciences, is both a historical period (the modern era) and the ensemble of particular Society, socio-Culture, cultural Norm (social), norms, attitudes and practices that arose in the wake of the ...

. This fear is sometimes considered to originate in the country's experience with terrorism and in the belief that Muslims are unable to integrate with the French culture. A survey by the Pew Research Center in Spring 2014 revealed that out of all Europeans, the French view Muslim minorities most favorably with 72% having a favorable opinion. However, according to an opinion poll in 2009, 74% of Muslims in France believe that there is a conflict between living in devotion to one's

religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...

and living in the western secular society. Muslim individuals' desire to integrate has been hindered by the reinforcement of cultural differences.

Terminology

The word ''Islamophobie'' is itself subject of debate in France, due to a perceived lack of clarity on whether it designates the fear of Islam or the racism against Muslims, the first being a legal opinion and belief while the second constitutes a crime according to French law. Because of this, some authors urge to use ''racisme anti-musulman'', literally "anti-Muslim racism", instead of ''Islamophobie'', in order to differentiate between the distrust against Islam seen as a corpus of religious beliefs and the systematic hate and discrimination against Muslims. JournalistsResource.org, retrieved Jan. 12, 2015.

History

According to researcher Vincent Gassier "'institutional Islamophobia' or 'State Islamophobia' doesn't really exist in France". In the past, Islam was seen by many as a liberal religion especially during the time of les lumières''' (18th century). Anti-religious views (especially against Christianity) have developed through France's historical tradition of segregation between state and church. For a long time, conservative Muslims have been perceived as outsiders by the general French public, due to Islamic community structure and as a threat to individuality.

Incidents

Statistics

The Observatory of Islamophobia confirmed a 34.6% decrease in Islamophobic attacks in France in 2017. According to the French Ministry of Interior, anti-Muslim attacks decreased from 121 in the year 2017 to 100 in the year 2018. These figures are based on complaints recorded in police stations. However, the

French Council of the Muslim Faith The French Council of the Muslim Faith (, usually abbreviated to CFCM), was a national elected body, to serve as an official interlocutor with the French state in the regulation of Muslim religious activities.Mayanthi Fernando, MERIP. It was a no ...

said that the figures do not reflect the reality. The Collective against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) reported diametrically different figures based on the complaints made directly to their organizations. According to CCIF, Islamophobic attacks saw an increase from 446 in 2017 to 676 in 2018. In 2019, the Ministry of Interior reported that anti-Muslim incidents increased by 54% from last year to 154 reported incidents. Islamophobic incidents saw a further jump of 53% with 235 incidents being reported. Muslim women disproportionately face 81% of Islamophobic hate crimes.

Justice system

Fundamental rights for Muslims in France are the same as any other French citizen, making it hard to introduce religious laws for some Muslims. The French adherence to the concept of

Laïcité (; 'secularism') is the constitutional principle of secularism in France. Article 1 of the French Constitution is commonly interpreted as the separation of civil society and religious society. It discourages religious involvement in governmen ...

is in contradiction to some Muslim behaviors. In turn, forces resisting it are unable to cope with the strength of the growth in this concept. Political leaders emphasis that this is a protection of social cohesion within France, however it affects the inclusion of some Muslims.

Legislation impacting some religious behaviors

The objective to prevent

discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...

between French citizens and to remove religious signs (Christianity, Islam, Judaism) from public space is seen as an injustice by some Muslims. On 11 April 2011, French Prime Minister François Fillon banned face veils from being worn in public spaces in France other than

Mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

s, at home or when travelling as a passenger in a car. In October 2017, France introduced an Anti-Terrorism Bill which authorised power for officials to search homes, restrict movement and close places of worship. The concept behind this bill has been commended by a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

human rights expert who also, on the contrary, highlights the negative influence this may have over

religious freedom Freedom of religion or religious liberty, also known as freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice ...

. In May 2019, French senate (dominated by legislators of the political right) voted in favor of a law to extend civil servant limitations to wear religion signs to helpers attending school trips. This was immediately opposed by the government on the grounds that it would be 'criminal' to stigmatise a fraction of the national community.

Anti-discriminatory legislation

Discriminatory acts against religious groups in France are denounced by legislature which promote equality. Some legislation and political groups which address the issue of discrimination against religious freedom in France include: *

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (), set by France's National Constituent Assembly in 1789, is a human and civil rights document from the French Revolution; the French title can be translated in the modern era as "Decl ...

"Article X – No one may be disturbed for his opinions, even religious ones, provided that their manifestation does not trouble the public order established by the law".

* The Preamble of the Constitution of 1946

"France shall form with the peoples of her Overseas Territories a Union based upon equality of rights and privileges, without distinction as to race or religion".

French Equal Opportunities and Anti-Discrimination Commission The French Equal Opportunities and Anti-Discrimination Commission (French ''Haute autorité de lutte contre les discriminations et pour l'égalité'' or HALDE) is a French "independent administrative authority" which "has the right to judge all ...

In the media

French media portrayals of Islam often depict mainstream anti-Islamic views.

"...negative outlook on Islam is covered by the French media — something both logical, and worrying. Logical, because the media have to report on actual incidences, and so they have an incentive to adopt a discourse that echoes what potential readers, TV viewers, and listeners find appealing. Worrying, because this tendency legitimizes negative stereotypes about Islam."

In employment

There have been many reported cases of workplace Islamic discrimination against individuals. French law indicates two main guidelines regarding religion and employment. The "Protection of Individuals" indicates that one's religious beliefs must not disturb the functioning of the workplace, including views regarding hygiene and safety requirements. The "Proper functioning of the firm" highlights that religion must never interfere with performance or one's relationship with work. These French policies as seen as conflicting with some integrist views of Islam, claiming that it is dismissing their to practice the religion. For example, prayer breaks are disapproved.

Islamophobic groups and notions

Great Replacement

The conspiracy theory term "Great Replacement" was created by

Renaud Camus Renaud Camus (; ; born Jean Renaud Gabriel Camus on 10 August 1946) is a French novelist and conspiracy theorist. He is the originator of the far-right "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory, which claims that a "global elite" is colluding again ...

in 2011 identifying immigration policies as the main issue affecting the shift in the

demographics Demography () is the statistical study of human populations: their size, composition (e.g., ethnic group, age), and how they change through the interplay of fertility (births), mortality (deaths), and migration. Demographic analysis examin ...

of France.

References

{{World topic, prefix=Islamophobia in, noredlinks=y, title=Islamophobia by country Islam in France Anti-Islam sentiment in France Racism in France