islam in france kim foerster richard bilger sohyun jin eunji song
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ISLAM IN FRANCE
Kim FoersterRichard BilgerSohyun JinEunji Song
Islam ReligionIslam Religion
“Submission to the will of God”
Prophet Muhammad
Qu’ran
Five basic Pillars of Islam
Muslim in FranceMuslim in France
5 million Muslims
Biggest Muslim minority in Europe
Around 2000 mosques and prayer rooms
History of Muslim History of Muslim ImmigrationImmigration
occupation of Spain by the Moors
18th century Imperial expansion: Egypt Algeria West Africa Tunisia Morocco Syria Lebanon
History of Muslim History of Muslim ImmigrationImmigration
Colonial wars of independence (1954-62)
Decolonization- Official recruitment of Labor
Reunification of families (1970~80s) Single male population Nuclear and extended families
Conflicts AriseConflicts Arise Growing number of
Muslims in France
The French fear of Islamic
fundamentalism
The French tradition of secularism
The Hijab DebateThe Hijab Debate First sparked in 1989
2004 Ban on wearing “ostentatious” religious symbols in primary and secondary schools
An ongoing issue
Criticism
Street PrayersStreet Prayers More than 2,000 mosques in France
1,800 more mosques are needed to accommodate French Muslims street prayers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxnM_wgZKRU&feature=related
Street PrayersStreet Prayers
In 2010, far right protests against street prayer
“occupation without tanks or soliders”
“unacceptable”
September 2011, Paris ban on Muslim street prayers
Background on French Background on French MuslimsMuslims
Constitute ~10% of France’s population
An estimated 1.2m voters
Their interests are not adequately represented in government
Forced assimilation through legislation
A Timeline of A Timeline of Restrictions on Muslim Restrictions on Muslim
ExpressionExpression
DiscriminationDiscrimination
Employment discrimination 5% overall unemployment for university
graduates 26.5% unemployment for “North African”
university graduates Christians 2.5x more likely to be hired than
their qualified Muslim counterparts
Immigration
Past Voting TrendsPast Voting Trends
No clear ties with religious and political habits
Voting based more on socioeconomic class
Case Study: Jean-Marie Le Pen
Current Representation Current Representation in Governmentin Government
No Members on National Legislature
2007 Elections more candidates ran for Parliament
Representatives on the European Parliament
Cabinet Members appointed by president
Interest GroupsInterest Groups 1500 Muslim Organizations in France
Main Interlocutor of the State: CFCM
Other Major Groups: UOIF, FNMF, RMF
Different Approaches to Issues
Human Rights GroupsHuman Rights Groups CCIF
“improving the information concerning the social expression of Islamophobia in France” help victims with legal advice
CNCDH governmental organization documented 352 violent acts in 2005
What issues are What issues are important?important?
Lack of Mosque Space
No Street Prayer
Head Scarf Ban
Muslim Voting TodayMuslim Voting Today Lean towards the Left
2007 Elections
82% of Muslims didn’t vote for Sarkozy
2012 Elections
Sarkozy, Le Pen, Hollande
“personal priorities are those of mutual respect, the undoing of increased racist rhetoric in politics, and their acception as equal French citizens, not withstanding their cultural differences”
What do you think?What do you think?
Are the laws banning religious practices such as wearing hijab and public prayer prohibiting the rights of Muslims or promoting equality?
How can Muslims receive more representation in the government?
How might France’s political culture be affected if the Muslim minority continues to increase?
Works CitedWorks Cited Alhéritière, Antoine. “French Arabs and the 2012 Presidential
Elections.” Arabs Think. N.p., 17 Oct. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://arabsthink.com/arabs-and-the-presidential-elections/>.
“Being Muslim in France.” Brookings. N.p., 2006. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.brookings.edu/chapter.pdf>.
“France.” Focus Migration. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://focus-migration.hwwi.de/.1231.0.html?&L=1>.
“France imposes first niqab fines.” BBC News. N.p., 22 Sept. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/europe-15013383>.
“France News (2012 Presidential Election).” The New York Times. N.p., 19 Oct. 1992. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://topics.nytimes.com/.html>.
“French Muslims protest Paris’s ban on street prayer.” Jafria News. N.p., 18 Sept. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://jafrianews.com/muslims-protest-paris%E2%80%99s-ban-on-street-prayer/>.
Works CitedWorks Cited Giry, Stephanie. “France and Its Muslims.” RealClearPolitics. N.p.,
9 Oct. 2006. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.realclearpolitics.com/_and_its_muslims_1.html>.
Iqbal, Nomia. “Ban on Muslim women covering faces with veils in France.” BBC Newsbeat. N.p., 11 Apr. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/>.
“Islam at a glance.” BBC. N.p., 30 June 2009. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/.shtml>.
Kern, Soeren. “Islam Overtaking Catholicism in France.” Hudson New York. N.p., 18 Aug. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.hudson-ny.org//islam-overtaking-catholicism>.
“Little Protest in Paris as a Ban on Street Prayer Begins.” The New York Times. N.p., 16 Sept. 2011. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/begins-enforcing-ban-on-street-prayer.html?_r=1>.
Works CitedWorks Cited “Muslim Immigrants in France.” Migration News. N.p., Apr. 1995. Web. 27
Oct. 2011. <http://migration.ucdavis.edu//.php?id=617_0_4_0>.
“Paris ban on Muslim street prayers comes into effect.” BBC News. N.p., 16 Sept. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/world-europe-14945467>.
Samuel, Henry. “Le Pen secures surprise support from Muslims.” The Telegraph. N.p., 2 Apr. 2007. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/Pen-secures-surprise-support-from-Muslims.html>.
Sebian, Elizabeth, and Jennifer Selby, eds. “Islam in France.” Euro Islam: News and Analysis on Islam in Europe and North America. N.p., 2007. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.euro-islam.info/profiles/>.
Seljuq, Affan. “Cultural Conflictions: North African Immigrants in France.” The International Journal of Peace Studies. George Mason University, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://www.gmu.edu/_2/.htm>.
“Why Muslims Vote For Le Pen.” Gallia Watch. N.p., 26 Nov. 2006. Web. 27 Oct. 2011. <http://galliawatch.blogspot.com/muslims-vote-for-le-pen.html>.