France’s veil ruling is a triumph of style over substance.
As usual, distract the howling masses with bread and circus and if you can’t afford that, a bit of xenophobic hatred is free and just as welcome.
France is a country that prides itself on liberty, fraternity and equality, but only within a narrow definition of Frenchness. That definition has now been restricted further to exclude those who practice ‘radical’ forms of Islam. France has now refused citizenship over the wearing the full veil, in accordance with its recent policy of denying citizen ship to those pursuing a ‘radical’ practice of Islam. It has been deemed incompatible with a desire for integration - an essential requirement for citizenship.
The veil is a polarising issue. I wouldn’t wear it but respect the right of other women to wear it. Life as a modern woman running hither and thither in a mini skirt and high heels is not the happily-ever-after that some feminists like to think. The great thing about western society though is choice and diversity. Many women choose to wear the veil, for a variety of reasons. Should it be an issue for security checks or particular jobs? – Possibly. Should it be an issue for citizenship, I don’t believe so. Surely there are bigger fish to fry.
This is another example of France’s renowned intolerance when it comes to immigrants captured in films like the 1995 movie, La Haine and more recently ‘Entre les Murs’ - The Class 2008.
France’s response to its periodic race riots within its black and Arab communities has always been to tighten the screws rather than oil them. Having worked in France in 2000 and again in 2008, nothing much seems to have changed in terms of opportunities for visibly ethnic minorities. Where I worked, previously in an French investment bank (Societe Generale) and then again in a major news organisation (Reuters) (Interestingly both jobs were obtained from Britain through email and phone interviews), the lack of black people in senior roles in Paris was much more obvious to me than in Britain. Living in Paris like walking back into London in the 60s. Black people are more often the menial staff and even lucky to get those jobs in a country with 10 percent unemployment. French politics is has less representation for its ethnic minorities than Britain although it actually has a higher percentage of minorities. France’s first and only Muslim woman of North African origin, Rachida Dati, was hounded out of office by a jealous white elite.
Paris has become a veritable tale of two cities with poor whites and immigrants forced out into the ghettos of Clichy and Saint-Denis. The centre feels more like the surreality of a film set a Paris than a real multicultural metropolis.
Banning veils will not make France a safer or better place to live. It is just as vulnerable to terrorism as any other country. France needs to focus on rebuilding bridges between its communities, increasing tolerance and improving the conditions of its immigrant communities and the job prospects for its visibly ethnic communities. This is what people actually want, liberty, fraternity and equality - for everyone.
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