The French Debate on Muslim Veils

Can there be a balance between "French secularism and religious tolerance"? This balance is what the French government is now trying to find. Reports show that professors of French universities have been "singling" out women for wearing hijabs.

The issue first arose when a Professor of Paris XIII university made a comment saying he did not support "religious symbols in public places" and he was demoted for his harsh comments to the student. There was also another incident at Sarbone University where a professor referred to a student's hijab as "that thing".

This nonacceptance of hijabs came after several terrorist attacks by Muslim immigrants. After these attacks people began to question if it was possible to be a "French Muslim". The president of Sarbone University , who did apologize for the harsh comments from the professor at his institution thinks there should be a "secular teaching of religion" and that France's official secularism ( laïcité) "does not mean forgetting religion , or indeed being in conflict with religion".

There is great debate that "there is no Muslim Community" in France because their lives are very different making it hard for them to be integrated into society.

France Tries to Tackle Muslim Radicalisation

Radicalization is the process by which a group develops extreme political, social or religious ideas that reject the status quo. In France, there seems to be extreme Muslim Radicalization. France is trying new reforms to better integrate Muslims into French society. Since the Hedbo attacks, Muslims have been outcast and that leaves the door open for possible radicalization. The focus of these reforms will be to focus on the training of Muslim preachers in an attempt to "encourage the emergence of a generation of imams fully engaged in the Republic" .

Approximately 60% of prisoners in French prisons are Muslim . The government is aware that this is a very sensitive area and that it will not be easy to fix these problems. It will be a difficult task since the government must keep church and state separate but they are trying new ways to constantly bring peace.

Rise in Islamaphobic Acts

Ever since the attack on Charlie Hedbo, there has been a rise in Islamaphobic Acts in France. Recently a 69 year old man was sentenced to three years in prison for throwing plaster grenades and firing a rifle at a mosque in Le Mans , France. The man admitted that he did it out of anger but also said that he did not expect anyone to be in the Mosque at the time of his attack. He states that he thinks the Charlie Hedbo attack , was a "barrier to the independence of the press in our country".

In January of 2015 , 176 Islamaphobic acts have been recorded and reported. That is more than the number of attacks that happened in all of 2014. Followers of the Islam faith and members of that mosque forgive the man for his acts . Mohamed Lamaachi, the imam of the Mosque said "If he comes to the mosque, he will be greeted with tea and coucous".