Why Is France Taking Another Hit At Muslims?
Or when racism and Islamophobia drive a country’s policies
A French man once told me that the people most discriminated against in France are Muslims. He said that as a Black, non-Muslim woman, I’d face racism here for sure, but nothing compared to what it would be if I was a Muslim too. I was shocked.
The French harbor a deep resentment for Islam and anything or anyone linked to the faith. Over many years, the government has implemented policies in complete violation of Muslims’ human rights.
Since 2011, it has been illegal to wear a face-covering niqab or a burqa covering the entire body in France. These are usually clothing that Muslims wear. Part of the reasons cited for this ban were national security ones — anyone who was covered from head to toe could commit a terrorist act. Another part of their reasoning was that the French sought to liberate Muslim women from what they considered archaic Islamic traditions.
But my question at the time and still today is:
“Did Muslim women need liberating? Did they ask you to liberate them?”
During the 2022 French presidential election, a right-wing candidate by the name of Éric Zemmour had a plan to force all Muslims to change from Arabic names to French or…
