Beyond the Veil: The Dormant Islamophobia in French Secularism (Laïcité)
Over the past decade, France has fallen victim to some of Europe’s most devastating terrorist attacks. From Charlie Hebdo to Samuel Paty, from November 13th to the Nice Bastille Day attack, these terrorist incidents have undoubtedly left a scar on the French consciousness. In fact, just a few weeks ago, a schoolteacher in the northern French city of Arras was stabbed to death in an attack that French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned as the “barbarity of Islamist terrorism.” A rise in terror attacks has unquestionably shaken the relationship between France and its Muslim population, leading to prominent French politicians on both sides of the political spectrum calling for bans on Muslim head coverings, such as the niqab. In 2020, Macron insulted that relationship even more, stating that “Islam is a religion that is in crisis.” Yet, this contentious relationship has deep roots embedded in French culture, particularly in what the French call “laïcité.”
As immigration has risen over the years, so has xenophobic rhetoric that views both immigrants and Islam as a threat to French culture.”
The French concept of laïcité, which translates to secularism, was created by a 1905 law, which officially enshrined a separation between church and state. Laïcité does not ban religious practices in France; it fundamentally ensures the freedom from religion. However, the application of laïcité has been hostile to certain religious groups throughout its history. It has taken the face of anti-Catholicism and rampant antisemitism in the 20th century and since the beginning of the 21st century, French officials have used laïcité to progress Islamophobic rhetoric and legislation. Even though its application is stained with controversy, laïcité has become a fundamental element of French national and cultural identity. It is inseparable from mainstream political discourse, making its discriminatory nature all the more harmful to France’s minority populations.
France has both one of the largest Jewish and Muslim populations in all of Europe. Its colonial past in North and West Africa is reflected by the influx of immigrants that come from these Muslim-majority countries, such as Algeria and Senegal. As immigration has risen over the years, so has xenophobic rhetoric that views both immigrants and Islam as a threat to French culture. In order to “protect” French cultural values and “combat” the threat of Islamic extremism, French authorities have introduced legislation since 2004 that has weaponized laïcité mainly through a regulation of Islamic dress in public spaces. The veil was first banned in 2004 and in 2010 the French government issued a ban on full-faced coverings such as the niqab in public spaces (TIME). These laws concern all religious articles, including Jewish kippahs and Catholic crosses, however, they have been disproportionally applied to Muslim schoolgirls wearing the veil.
Most recently, Education Minister Gabriel Attal stated that the government was planning on banning the abaya from being worn in schools. According to the New York Times, “the government believes the role of education is to dissolve ethnic or religious identity in a shared commitment to the rights and responsibilities of French citizenship and so, as Mr. Attal put it, ‘you should not be able to distinguish or identify the students’ religion by looking at them.”’ Yet, the effort by the French government to ease division and promote “living together” through the dissolution of religious identity has only done the opposite. The application of laïcité, particularly in the 21st century, has furthered divisions between France and its Muslim population. Coupled with the rise of far-right politics in France, as evident by Marine Le Pen’s second place finish in the past two presidential elections, general hostility to Islam has become endemic. According to Time, 44.6% of the French population in 2019 considered Muslims a threat to French cultural and national identity. At the same time, TIME notes that around half of France’s Muslim population had reported religious discrimination, with the majority being Muslim women who have consequentially become the target of laïcité legislation in France. Current legislation has only harbored widespread Islamophobic sentiment in France, doing very little to actually address Islamic extremism in the country and deeply harming France’s relationship with one of its largest and most influential minority populations.
The rise of Islamophobic rhetoric in mainstream political dialogue and legislation is disturbing. So, too, is the rise of extremist terrorism. France must be able to reconcile not only its colonial past and historical animosity towards its Muslim population but also the disproportionate and discriminatory effects of laïcité. If Macron really wants to decrease division and quell separatism, he must aim to heal France’s relationship with its Muslim minority, not antagonize it. The failure to do so will only perpetuate strife and feed the stomach of extremism.
Dommii DeMichele ‘24 studies in the College of Arts & Sciences. He can be reached at d.demichele@wustl.edu.