Islam is currently the second religion in France with Muslims representing 6% of the population and 14% of 18-24 year olds. France is home to the largest Muslim population in Europe, but also the largest Jewish and Buddhist communities.
According to the results of an opinion poll, carried out by the IFOP polling institute, the time for tolerance is over. The online survey, taken between October 15 and 18 from a sample of 1,736 French adults, shows that 43 percent of the population consider Islam to be a serious threat to French identity, 60 percent believe the influence of Islam is “too great” in the country and 40 percent declare themselves indifferent to the Muslim community. Jerome Fourquet, director in charge of the opinion poll at IFOP, quoted by Le Figaro, explained that; “the survey is in line with the hardening of French opinion towards Islam, and with a more and more negative perception of this religion.”
In the opinion of sociologist and author of “Islamists take up the challenge of power” (Islamistes au défi du pouvoir, Michalon) and “Today’s Salafism” (Le salafisme d’aujourd’hui, Michalon), Samir Amghar, these results confirm the feelings of French Muslims. The specialist in Islamist movements, in an interview with the ‘Voice of Russia’, said that this deterioration in the perception of Islam in France is a consequence of the events of September 11th, 2001.
Beyond that the expert believes it is also a consequence of the greater visibility of Islam in French society, which can be explained by the fact that French Muslims are ‘fully French’. They fully belong to French society and want to be free to practice their religion. In fact the majority Muslim people living in France are not newcomers, most were born there and represent fourth or fifth generations of French citizens with Muslim faith. But they are still perceived as “immigrants”, unlike other ethnic groups who are perceived as “French” after just one or two generations.
However, 67% of people, who responded to the October poll, believe that Muslims and people with Muslim roots are not well integrated into French society. Among them 68% consider this lack of integration to be the result of a refusal to do so. About half think it is because cultural differences are too strong and the other half associates this situation with the fact that people of Muslim origin tend to group together in certain areas and schools.
The main factors, that cause tension, appear to be associated with external signs of religion, such as symbols representing faith. Sixty-three percent of people responding to the IFOP poll, said the are opposed to the wearing of the Muslim headscarf in public places while 43% are against building mosques in France. It seems that French secularism cannot tolerate any display of religious opinion. Likewise, there is a growing hostility towards Muslim mayors and political representatives; in 2010 only 33% of French people said they would not vote for a Muslim candidate but in 2012 the figure jumped to about 45%.
According to Samir Amghar, Muslims in France are now seen as figures of “otherness”, as were Jews at the beginning of the 20th century. And at the same time, according to the specialist, there is an irrational fear of a Muslim invasion when Islam is already settled in Europe.
There is therefore a clear negative perception of Islam in France, this can partly be explained by political exploitation of the topic, which tends to polarize tensions around religious or ethnic divisions. This is particularly effective in the context of an economic crisis when social conflicts can be quick to flare up, as we saw recently with the performance of a far-right youth group, known as Generation Identity, which stormed the site of a future mosque in Poitiers, Western France, in protest against the influence of Islam, or with the growing opposition against the presence of the Roma or Gipsy population in the country.
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