Muslims in France between the principles of secularism and discrimination policies Encyclopedia

Since the 1960s, Islam has become the second religion in France in terms of population spread, ahead of Protestantism and Judaism. Muslims are spread in French cities and countryside, and most of them are from the expatriate working class, especially from the Maghreb countries. The Algerian community constitutes the largest percentage (35%), followed by Moroccan (25%), then Tunisian (10%).

France also includes Muslims from African countries that have previously colonized, such as Mali, Senegal, Niger and Ivory Coast, in addition to immigrants from the Arab East, such as Syria, Egypt, Iraq and Palestine, as well as more than 360 thousand Muslims of Turkish origin.

Factors of the rise of Islam in France

The data of the Institute of Demographic Studies “Enad” and the National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies “Insee” revealed a remarkable increase in the proportion of Muslim women wearing the veil between 2008 and 2020, especially between the coming of the Maghreb and Turkey.

Economic immigration, since the mid -20th century, has contributed to the consolidation of the Islamic presence in France, and has had a pivotal role in reconstruction after World War II.

According to the “Immigration and Population” Observatory, the increasing migration flows is one of the most prominent factors that explained the growing presence of Islam in the social and cultural scenes. The number of those with the first residence permit has doubled by 172% between 1997 and 2023, most of them from Muslim countries.

Statistics also showed in 2021 that 72% of new immigrants and 61% of asylum seekers belong to countries with a Muslim majority, which strengthened the growing demographic presence of the Muslim minority in France.

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Immigration and identity transformation

For decades, immigrant Muslims have been suffering in building a stable relationship with France, as it was an old colonial, and then a temporary economic destination.

At the beginning of the 20th century, thousands of Algerians flowed into France, supported by the 1904 law, which facilitated the movement between the two countries. By 1926, the Algerians became the largest migrant community in the country.

With the end of World War II, France began to bring workers again for reconstruction, signed agreements with Morocco and Tunisia, and they were called “specialized workers”, and many of them considered his residence in France temporary, and intended to return to his country later.

However, the family reunification law between 1974 and 1982 changed the scene radically, as it led to the transformation of migration from temporary to permanent residence. With the advent of wives and children, the need to organize religious practices began to appear, which opened the way for what was called “Al -Qunsali”, which was organized by foreign consulates within the respect of the principle of French secularism.

In the 1980s, the first generation of the French of immigrant origins emerged, who were born in France and holding its nationality. Unlike their parents, they redefined their identity within the framework of the law and effectively participated in public life.

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French Muslim

Since the eighties of the twentieth century, Islam has become a collective reference for a new identity, as it is to be a means of preserving the roots only, began to be more aware and contemplative, especially among the learner youth who re -read religious texts in a modern interpretative manner.

The veil is no longer just a traditional symbol, but rather has become an expression of independence and free choice between cultural affiliation and the Republican constitution. This was reflected in the reactions to the “case of the veil” in 1989; While parents chose caution, the children refused to obey.

Until the nineties of the 20th century, the Islamic presence in France lacked a clear institutional structure, and his presence seemed to be a historical emergency linked to the idea of ​​”deferred return”, but the sons of the seventies generation and beyond abandoned this perception, and began to demand a public presence of Islam in line with the principles of the Republic.

A double identity that combines French affiliation with the Islamic reference.

French secularism

Constitutional, France has been a secular country since 1905, and does not officially recognize or hostile religion. According to what is stipulated in the constitution in its second article, “The Republic is secular, but it respects all religions.”

On this basis, it is assumed that Islam is treated as the rest of the religions are treated, including Catholicism, which was considered the “mother religion” before the French Revolution.

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French leaders often invoke the slogan “preserving secularism” to justify discriminatory practices against Muslims, and to turn them into systematic policies with legal cover.

In this context, the French government announced its intention to prepare a bill to confront what it calls “political Islam”, as part of a series of measures announced by President Emmanuel Macron, to fight what he described as “Islamic separation.”

Although France adheres to its democratic discourse, which guarantees freedom of beliefs and human rights, it is described as one of the most European countries that witness anti -Islam campaigns.

In October 2019, the French Senate approved a law proposal that prevents mothers from wearing religious symbols – especially the veil – while accompanying their children on school trips.

On the level of practices, France witnessed in October 2019 a controversial incident when MP Julian Odol asked a Muslim woman to remove the veil during a general meeting, accompanied by a verbal assault that sparked a wave of condemnation.

Observers attribute this escalation to the shift of Macron towards the far -right speech, which adopts hostile positions towards Islam, and exerted repeated pressure against building mosques and wearing the veil, in an attempt to deliberately link the Islamic religion to terrorism.

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Islamophobia and Macron Policies

The governments of French President Emmanuel Macron, during his first and second states, adopted policies that raised the level of Islamophobia in the state and society to unprecedented levels. His legislative and executive speeches and procedures also contributed to expanding hostility to Muslims, deepening his roots, and giving a legal and systematic character, which made him an announcement policy.

Although the phenomenon cannot be reduced during the era of Macron alone, it is a precedent for him and dates back to centuries, starting from the Crusades in the eleventh century, through the French colonialism of Algeria and the accompanying treatment of a racist nature, up to the contemporary discourse represented in the “war on Islamism” during Macron’s rule.

Macron inherited a complex structure of historical and political Islamophobia, but it contributed to its modernization and enhancing its presence through new tools and means, which deepened its impact on public life.

France is home to one of the largest Islamic communities in Europe, but the rates of hostility to Muslims in it are among the highest on the continent. According to the data of the French Ministry of the Interior, in 2024, about 173 anti -Muslims incidents, most of which were attacks targeting people, compared to 242 cases in 2023.

In this context, French thinker Francois Burga said that the feeding of Islamophobia came after Macron’s decision in the beginning of 2018 to go to the right and the far right, after he realized that he would not be able to win again with the votes of the midfielders and the French left as he did in the 2017 elections.

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Policies of persecution of the Muslim minority

The Muslim minority in France faces a series of policies that contribute to deepening discrimination and legalizing forms of persecution under legal and regulatory pretexts. Among the most prominent of these policies is the law of criminalizing wearing veils in public places and government facilities, which is punished with a fine the first time, and it ranges from imprisonment in the event of repetition. The state also enacted a law prohibiting the wearing of the veil inside schools, universities and government institutions.

The procedures also include prohibiting the performance of prayer in the streets and public squares, including the vicinity of mosques, which was widely interpreted as a direct targeting of Islamic religious practices.

As for immigration and residence, the granting or renewal of residence has been linked by passing a test that proves the mastery of the French language and respect for “republican values”, including the lack of prevalence of Islamic beliefs on the French bases.

These and other measures contributed to the narrowing of the public space of Muslims, and imposed daily challenges ranging from discrimination, racism, verbal and material violence. A report on Islamophobia in Europe for the year 2022 France was ranked one of the most hostile European countries for Muslims, in light of the outbreak of hate speech and the decline in the legal protection umbrella of this minority.

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Strict laws

A number of experts unanimously agree that the “separatist” law, which was submitted by the French government in 2021, systematically restricts religious freedoms, and particularly targeting Islamic practices.

The French National Assembly (the first chamber in Parliament) adopted, in July of the same year, under the name of “the principles of promoting respect for the values ​​of the republic”, after it was known as “the fight against Islamic separatism”, which sparked widespread controversy in France and abroad.

The law provides for the imposition of penalties of five years in prison, and financial fines that may amount to 75,000 euros, for anyone who is condemned by the “separatist crime”, which includes the threat or attacks on public officials because of their refusal to comply with the values ​​of the republic, such as cases where a medical examination is refused by a doctor.

The implementation of this law has resulted in a series of strict measures against Muslims, which was to close a large number of mosques and Islamic schools and harass the imams, as well as the closure of stores and institutions run by Muslims.

According to official data, the state subjected thousands of Islamic institutions to investigations, which resulted in the closure of 900 institutions by force, and the confiscation of more than 55 million euros of its money.