By Toby J. Shay
According to the French government’s latest annual report from the Observatory of Secularism (Rapport Annuel de L'Observatoire de la laïcité 2019-2020) 45% of French Muslims have experienced discrimination based on their religion.[1]
This staggering statistic highlights the tensions surrounding Islam in France today. These fractions within French society were most likely reignited in recent times by the brutal decapitation of teacher Samuel Paty on the 16th of October 2020. The motive of the teenage Islamist terrorist, who perpetrated the beheading in broad daylight, was as a result of the teacher allegedly having shown his students the 2012 Charlie Hebdo cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad, which provoked the 2015 terror attack in Paris now known as the Charlie Hebdo shooting, as part of a class on freedom of expression.
Despite the unanimous condemnation by the whole of the French population of this atrocious homicide, opinions vary on the measures taken in its wake, such as the closure of a mosque and the dissolution of some Islamic organisations. President Macron said in his speech at the memorial service for Mr. Paty on the 21st October 2020 at La Sorbonne:
"we will not give up cartoons and drawings." (“nous ne renoncerons pas aux caricatures, aux dessins.”)[2]
This proclamation from President Macron reaffirms his ardent desire for the cornerstones of secularism and freedom of expression, upon which French society is built, to be protected and maintained by his citizens. Many French nationals strongly support this statement of his and its insinuations, which was exemplified by the thousands of demonstrators throughout the country who rallied in solidarity following Mr. Paty's murder. The principles of secularism and freedom of expression are even included in the first article of the French constitution, however one element of the first article which seems to have been forgotten within the hostilities is:
“[France] respects all belief.” (“Elle respecte toutes les croyances”)[3]
Considering this, some have criticized the French President, such as lawyer Nabil Boudi of the prestigious Paris Bar Association (Barreau de Paris), an Institute of European Law in Paris. When discussing the proceedings of the French government in response to Mr. Paty’s killing in an interview with Euronews, Mr. Boudi denounced their actions as “counter-productive”[4] and asserted that they only cause Islam to be stigmatised yet further. In light of this, the recent polls for the upcoming 2022 French presidential election may suggest that this is already the case as Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right political party National Rally (Rassemblement National), is now neck and neck with President Macron. Although the primary reason for Mrs. Le Pen’s increase in popularity among the French electorate probably lies in populism or in a general despondency with the current government, it seems no coincidence that this rise in the polls for the National Rally has occurred after the beheading of Mr. Paty; especially since one of their proposed policies, if elected, is to ban the headscarf in all public spaces on the basis that it preserves secularism and minimises any Islamist threats to French society.
While France deals with the divisions surrounding Islam, the nation prepares itself for a different type of challenge. The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship! The French national team has been a great source of passion for many French men and women and this summer will undoubtedly be no different as they enter the competition as one of the favourites.
However, will the Euros help mitigate the animosity surrounding Islam in France?
If we cast our minds back to the summer of 2018, France was in a state of euphoria having just won the FIFA World Cup. The victory had aroused such jubilation on the streets of France that it is consequently inconceivable to think that the religious affiliations of any of the players, who had evoked such patriotism and national pride in their achievement, were ever questioned during these celebrations. Yet the truth of the matter is that roughly a third of the squad which brought back the trophy were in fact Muslim. Nevertheless, at that moment in time none of the 8 Muslim players were judged as an Islamist threat and thus discriminated against because of their faith. In actuality, these players were revered, idolised, and considered no less French than any of their teammates. Even among supporters, differences were put aside, religious or otherwise, in order to celebrate their united pride in being French.
In an interview with BFMTV shortly after the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the French sociologist and specialist in the sociology of football supporters Nicolas Hourcade explained the reason for this:
“[football] is one of the only places where you can experience the same emotions at the same time and then share them [...] when there is the goal either for our team or against our team immediately the emotion is very strong and it is shared with our neighbours, our family our friends the people around us.” (“[le football] est un des seuls endroits où on peut vivre les mêmes émotions au même moment et ensuite les partager […] quand il y a le but soit pour notre équipe soit contre notre équipe immédiatement l’émotion est très forte et elle est partagée avec nos voisins, notre famille nos amis les gens qui sont autours de nous.”)[5]
This being said, the unfortunate reality of these shared emotions which Dr. Hourcade mentions is that they are fleeting. This is proven by the fact that only a few years after France’s World Cup victory the French Observatory of Secularism has reported that 45% of Muslims have suffered from islamophobia.[1]
The current circumstances in which France finds itself means that the French national team, which again consisting of 8 Muslim players, are presented with a huge opportunity to affect lasting social change in their country going into the competition, unlike they were three years ago at the 2018 World Cup. They could potentially alleviate the tension surrounding Muslims in France. As a consequence of the decapitation of Mr. Paty, less than a year ago from the beginning of the tournament, relations with Islam in France are arguably at their most hostile since the 2015 Charlie Hebdo shooting. In addition, France is due to elect its next President in less than a year's time from the beginning of the tournament. Therefore, any shared emotions, as Dr. Hourcade puts it, and unity in patriotism which the French team may conjure in their campaign, just as they did three years prior at the World Cup, whether it be pride, joy, or disappointment, could possibly leave an impression on French citizens for long enough for it to influence how they vote in the presidential elections in approximately 10 months. Because, if they show that they are all able to play together on the pitch, irrespective of any religious beliefs, then the French population will realise that they are all able to live together off the pitch.
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1 "le Rapport Annuel de L'Observatoire de la laïcité 2019-20" L'Observatoire de la laïcité, République Française, December 2020, https://www.gouvernement.fr/sites/default/files/contenu/piece-jointe/2020/12/rapport_annuel_de_lobservatoire_de_la_laicite_2019-2020.pdf
2 Emanuel Macron, 21st October 2020, La Sorbonne, Paris, "Hommage national à Samuel Paty," Élysée, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8bX52eE6Vw
3 Constitution du 4 octobre 1958, Conseil constitutionnel, Article Premier, https://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/sites/default/files/as/root/bank_mm/constitution/constitution.pdf
4 "Mort de Samuel Paty : le combat de la France contre l'islam radical" Nabil Boudi, Euronews, 23rd October 2020, https://fr.euronews.com/2020/10/23/mort-de-samuel-paty-le-combat-de-la-france-contre-l-islam-radical
5 "La France unie derrière ses Bleus", Nicolas Hourcade, BFMTV, 11th July 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7xIbGTQrTQ
Toby J. Shay, 18th April 2021, “L’Islam en France : Le football peut-il alléger la tension ?” University of Hull
Image Sources (left to right):
vbetnews.com, Getty Images, Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images, Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images, BestImage
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