In early September, a top French court upheld a ban that prohibits girls in school to wear abayas. The French court found that wearing the abaya is a religious affirmation and that the ban is in line with French law that prohibits, “the wearing by pupils of signs or clothing ostensibly expressing religious affiliation, either in and of themselves, or …
France’s Islamophobia Problem
This is the second part to our first article on France’s legacy with racism. The mainstream French society’s issue with Islam is very apparent – from individualized attacks on Muslims in public to institutional policing, Muslims in France are discriminated against. The legacy of Islamophobia in France, and largely Europe, comes from centuries of orientalism, pseudo-science, and a perpetual lens …
France’s Institutional Problems: Racism
In France weeks ago, Nahel M. was killed by French police at a traffic stop. The 17-year old was from the suburbs of Paris. The killing sparked protests amongst French Algerians, French Moroccans, French Muslims, and Black French people. Most of these groups live in underserved minority areas. In Europe, racism, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitism are embedded within the fabric of …