Islamic Experiences in Relation to France

During my time in France last year, I noticed a significant recognition of Islamic art and history in museum exhibits (such as at the Louvre Museum, where there is an independent Department of Islamic Art). As I was strolling a university campus in Paris, I noticed the Institute of Islamic Culture. I was curious about this because of France's reputation as a historically Christian nation. I asked my colleague, Kevin, about the large nod to Islamic cultures within France. He told me this was because France has the largest Muslim population in Western Europe, with many Moroccan and Algerian persons immigrating to France due to the colonial past and shared language. 

Upon further exploration, I found that in recent years there have been several recent outcries from French Muslims because of France's laws that have favored secularism over any religious traditions - Christian, Islamic, or otherwise. France has become one of the most secular nations in the world in recent years. In fact, according to this AP article, secularism is widely supported on both sides of the political aisle in France, which has caused some social identity tensions within France. The AP article says the "doctrine of colorblindedness is intended to ignore ethnic and religious backgrounds and to have all French citizens seen as equally French." As a result of this effort towards colorblindness, laws were put in place to remove any religious symbols in schools, outlawing headscarves as well as face veils for female Muslim students. The laws to make everyone equally French are a telling part of the identity group history and may have caused faultlines that eventually resulted in the 2020 protests by French Muslims (Hannum et al., 2010).

 This is interesting to me because this philosophy does not emphasize inclusiveness but instead demands assimilation to one entirely French culture (Ruderman & Chrobot-Mason, 2010) because members of the dominant French culture are uncomfortable with any expression of religion whatsoever. The demand for secularism led to humiliating actions (removal of traditional Muslim headscarves) which contributed to the formation of faultlines (Hannum et al., 2010) which have been emphasized through triggering events such as protests (Ruderman & Chrobot-Mason, 2010). The lack of inclusivity is actually alarming to me because France is considered a relatively progressive country, and these events suggest the opposite.

Despite the veins of secularism, the conversations I had about religion during my time in France were not as strained as I would have expected. For example, my colleague Azzedine is part of an Islamic family and has a diverse parental background. He has lived in France for most of his life, as far as I know. He told me in one conversation that his parents were very strict and that still affects his life now, especially his comfort with drinking and interacting with other people while doing so. He asked me about my religious beliefs and when I told him I am a Christian, he said it is good to believe in something because faith is such an important part of individuals navigating the world. I wish I had asked him more about his experience in order to get a more first-hand account of his feelings and experience growing up in France from a religious perspective. When I was in France, I knew Christianity was more of a cultural background than a practiced religion, and I think that made me assume it would make things easier for people of other religions. However, I now realize that even if a religion is recognized for its cultural significance - whether Islam or Christianity - it does not mean these belief systems will be accepted in everyday life. There is a disconnect between knowledge and actions that I think I need to reflect upon more. I would like to think about more of how religion affects the relationship between France and Morocco. I would also like to experience Morocco for myself one day while considering how the country embraces its Islamic influences more than France embraces its Christian influences. 

References

Charlton, A. (2020, November 1).AP Explains: Why France sparks such anger in Muslim world. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/boycotts-paris-middle-east-western-europe-france-441e4e480ac4151987eb0d289bf3dc12  

Hannum, K., McFeeters, B. B., & Booysen, L. (2010). Leadership across differences framework. In Hannum, K., McFeeters, B. B., & Booysen, L. (Eds.). Leading across differences: Cases and perspectives (pp. 9-16). Pfeiffer. 

Ruderman, M. N., & Chrobot-Mason, D. (2010). Triggers of social identity conflict. In Hannum, K., McFeeters, B. B., & Booysen, L. (Eds.). Leading across differences: Cases and perspectives (pp. 81-86). Pfeiffer.