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Latest update: 05/02/2010
- Algeria - immigration - integration - Islam - National identity debate
National identity: Who is really French?
What does it mean to be French? For the past few months, France has been asking itself that very question. But the debate over national identity launched by President Sarkozy now appears to be deepening racial tensions present for years. To get to the heart of the matter, our reporter James André went to Marseille, the most ethnically diverse city in France.
By James ANDRE
Since the 2nd of November, the French Public has been invited by the government to reflect on what it means to be French today. It’s the “Grand Debate about National Identity”, instigated by President Nicolas Sarkozy and driven by Eric Besson, the minister in charge of immigration and national identity. A series of clumsy statements and reckless declarations has narrowed the debate towards the themes of immigration and the place of Islam in France.
We decided to go to the Belsunce neighbourhood in Marseille and meet the different communities who form this multicoloured bit of France, that locals have nicknamed Algiers 2.
The debate is taking place amidst the rise of a certain form of Islamophobia across Europe. Just after the Swiss voted to ban minarets, a survey showed that 57% of French people would have voted the same way, and that 47% were in favour of banning mosques.
A few weeks later, young people of Algerian origin took to the streets with flags to celebrate Algeria’s qualification for the FIFA World Cup. In several large French cities, including Marseille, these demonstrations started out as joy but turned to riots.
This is the background against which the debate is taking place. Its outcome will be formally presented on the eve of France’s regional elections.
As we meet different Belsunce district residents, it appears that the debate is considered to be a threat by immigrants in general, and Muslims in particular.
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Comments (8)
Who is really French? National Identity
Though it is very hard to delineate who is really French and who is now, the problem gets more puzzling. National Identity is different to CITIZENSHIP and they should not be mixed up. Thus only those of Gallic background have a right to claim that they are FRENCH. You cannot include Algerians, Moroccans, Tunisians and North Africans in this equation, because they have a prior identity but they can be Citizens of France all the same.
Now there is also another angle by which we must approach the idea of National Identity as being different to Citizenship. It was early last tear that some residents of Quebec (Quebecois/Quebecoise)a Canadian province demanded that the Sarkozy government of France recognize them as French Citizens, because they had some French ancestors when the colony of New France existed on the shores of North America. The Sarkozy government, informed these Quebecois that they were not French. But their reasons were that over generations there was miscegenation and that was the fly in the ointment so to speak.
It will not be an easy tadk for the French goverment to declare who REALLY is FRENCH and who is not! How does one identify an African from Dakar or a Tuarag from Timbuktu as being French? It just cannot be done. The only solution is that they be recgonized as Citizens of FRANCE and no more.
burqas or niqabs
If you move to France to be a french citizen with the benifits. You should live as a French citizen, not a person of another social country, changing France to your past country. If one feels strongly about being anything other than a French citizen you should return to that place and change the freedoms of that country. One should not confuse one's religion as a nationality and citizenship. "live as the roman's do."
Muslimphobia
this reminds me of a discussion in Paris where I was aksked whether I was not afraid of the invasion of Muslims in Europe in about 15/20 years.
As a matter of fact "Muslim have 6.8 kids" the guy was saying whereas Christians orEuropeans only ave 1.8. We would be invaded and there would be a Muslimazation.
The generalization simply is not necessary. The Arab brought to Sicily only culture and math skills and knowledge that at that time we would not even dream of. Preconceived ideas do nothing but exacerbate hatred, intergenrational conflict
and provoke hatred even in young people that would otherwise not think of behave erratically. Individuals should be just judged for whichever actions they are responsible of.
The recent episodes of xenophobia in Italy show precisely the danger of judging events without knowing what is behind.
National identity
I think there is a subtle but resounding difference between coming from and being a product of a culture to having a national identity.
France like many european states are a mixture of many cultural origins all quite constrasting and established in the many parts of the country spanning thousands of years.
To identify a national identity a person must know their origins, so if you just have the 'I was born in France from French parents' approach it is short term national identity, which tends to produce racial fears, if there was greater education of origins then perhaps the french of french born might actually turn out to be part morrocan/spanish/arab/german/anglo-saxson with a french cultural heritage, are national identities that important in this multi-cultural world...I think not.
Nationalism vs. Chauvinism
The real question we all have to ask ourselves isn't what ethnic/religious groups should be accepted/rejected as members of our community, it's why we are asking the question in the first place. It is human to think in terms of family and tribe first. But communities today--up to and including countries--are more than our family/our tribe. Every modern country is a mix of groups, many of which have as their origin a place outside their current country of residence. If a group is a threat to our security, our health, our well-being, then that group SHOULD be excluded. But, can we isolate the dangerous group from the larger group of which it is a part? If so, then yes, exclude them, deport them, ban them! And if not, is it fair to persecute all for the issues of the few? Being different is not be a crime. We should punish those who harm us, not those who are different from us.
national identity
my opinion ,the governement they should show their indentity first, and telle the sister or (Nane) to take her berka, thank u
The report is very one sided.
The report is very one sided.
I definitely agree that this
I definitely agree that this question could have some dangerous consequences, and being from the US, I know that a debate like this would cause huge problems in the states, I mean are we banning large glowing crosses in front of chruches? I mean where do we go from here?
-Lalia
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