Islamophobia in the country of human rights – Part 1
By Vincent Delbos-Klein*
France saw a spate of terror attacks in recent months that the authorities attributed to Muslim extremists. In an exclusive series, Vincent Delbos-Klein explains what Islamophobia means in a country which is de facto multi-cultural society.
– Editor
Islamophobia is paradoxically not only targeting muslim people but also a huge part of the non-white population in France
“Where do you come from ? Why don’t you eat pork? Why do you wear a headscarf? What do you think about terrorism? Are you sure you don’t want to try pork? Ham sandwich is delicious you know? Don’t you think headscarf puts you down? And what about alcohol ? Why are your people not assimilating? You should try wine. Do you condemn terrorism? Can you tell me that you do condemn terrorism? Have some wine. Where did you say you come from?”
For a white man coming from the French middle class, this unpleasant sequence might not appear as an everyday burden of sorrow. But I’ve been raised in the eastern suburbs of Paris among people from many cultures and many trajectories and I have seen neighbours, friends or lovers suffering from this typical form of social violence that we call islamophobia.
Also read: Islamophobia is here to stay unless there is a concerted effort to curb it
As far as I can see all around me, and according to my researches in sociology, this harassment is an everyday life problem and also the tip of the iceberg for at least 2 million people. I say at least, because Islamophobia is paradoxically not only targeting muslim people but also a huge part of the non-white population in France and it is dramatically rising.
Almost twenty years ago, the entire country has lived a waking nightmare when Jean-Marie le Pen, a leader of the extreme right wing, known for his many racist quotes, came to the second tour of the French elections. Some said it was only an accident, but nowadays we can say it was just the beginning because Le Pen speech was as marginal before the 2000’s that it is commonplace nowadays, both in right and left wing, both on internet and tv.
To understand how deep is our disease, we must look into ourselves, in our own history. But are we really willing to do it?
*Vincent Delbos-Klein is a Paris-based filmmaker and a researcher in sociology
