Descriptive Representation in France

French Muslims are consistently discriminated against and struggle to gain acceptance in and integration into French society, particularly in the form of descriptive representation. I argue that the root of this problem is the notion of “French” identity trumping all other identities to form a cohesive and unified society. This concept is critical to French society and is rooted deeply in the country’s history. However, “French” identity has led to radicalized, even institutionalized, racism against Muslims in France as French society attempts to pretend that religious differences do not exist, at the expense of protecting vulnerable minorities. The French could advance from this concept by taking a series of smaller steps to promote inclusivity and reduce rates of discrimination. These steps include collecting data about race and religion, promoting diversity in other fields, dismantling bans on religious expression, and encouraging Muslim representation both in politics and in mass media.

France is one of the only countries in the world that refuses to collect data on race and religion about its population. It has refused to collect census data about race, religion or ethnicity since at least 1978 (Bleich 2001). This idea is not rooted in a place of negativity, but instead intends to promote equality and avoid the horrors seen during the Vichy Regime. However, instead of protecting minority groups, these good intentions are concealing the extent to which discrimination can be seen across the country. During his term, President Nicolas Sarkozy did propose adding these categories to the census but was faced with sharp criticism that prevented such action from being taken (“To Count or Not to Count,” 2009). This solution may seem like an easy fix considering its wide implementation around the globe; however, it would be difficult to accomplish in France because even minority groups say that they view themselves as French first, so there would be few advocates within the country for such a change.

Another element that would help France move away from their “French first” notion is to promote diversity across other fields, specifically those that frequently lead to positions in politics. Despite race and religion being seen as nonentities in France, discrimination based on them in the workplace can be seen constantly, such as in the aforementioned resume study (Valfort, 2015). To combat this problem, media outlets should widely publish rates of discrimination among different companies. This would be made significantly easier if France were to implement the above strategy of collecting data on race, religion and ethnicity. Furthermore, rather than depend upon the good intentions of a colorblind society, French businesses need to implement programs with the intention of protecting vulnerable minorities who suffer from implicit bias. To do so, implicit bias training should be developed for companies so that workers can learn to overcome their biases and create more inclusive work environments. This will also help French Muslims feel as if they belong in French society and encourage further assimilation and a desire to participate in their community.

Additionally, France needs to address the laws that are currently in place that relate to how religions, particularly non-Christian ones, are treated in the country. Legislation prevents French Muslims from wearing religious attire such as veils and headscarves in schools and public buildings (“The Islamic Veil Across Europe,” 2018). The underlying message of such legislation is that Islam is not accepted in France thus isolating French Muslims from a community that they desire to be a part of. Unfortunately, this legislation passed with overwhelming support from the French electorate so it may be difficult to overturn. There has also been constant conflict over prayers in public spaces because France bans government support of religious activities; however, there are no other safe spaces for Muslims to pray (“French Politicians Protest Over Muslim Street Prayers in Paris,” 2017). France should either overturn the legislation that bans these activities, or better yet, pass legislation that creates safe spaces for French Muslims to pray. This would reduce conflict between French non-Muslims and French Muslims as they would not be forced to share space, and it would make French Muslims feel further included in society. Being treated equally under the law will help French Muslims be treated equally in society.

Along with this, French Muslims need more representation, both in politics and mass media. With only seven Muslims ever elected to office (Campion, 2017), it is no surprise that French Muslims feel underrepresented. This contributes to the French Muslim electorate not registering to vote and not participating in elections. To resolve this problem, there should be a campaign to promote minority registration and increase access to voting sites. Here again, data on race and religion would indicate which regions of France are highly populated by Muslims and would allow for targeted messaging campaigns. Once French Muslims feel empowered to vote, it is likely that more French Muslims will be elected to office who will be able to act as a voice for this marginalized group. With this, French Muslims who have been elected to office must be open and vocal about their religious background, participate in interviews and be more publicly visible. As French Muslims in political office become more commonplace, French non-Muslims may also be encouraged to support such candidates. Younger generations of French Muslims may also be inspired to pursue a field in politics because they will have role models. 

Finally, French Muslims in power must fight for the rights that are important to the French Muslim electorate. It may be an unfair burden to put on those who are in power as they may wish to fight for other issues; however, there is extremely limited representation for French Muslims. Therefore, those who have achieved these positions must protect the French Muslim population because it is clear that no one else is willing to do so. Hopefully, as French Muslims are empowered and attain protections under the law, French Muslim representatives will view this less and less as a burden and other representatives will also fight for such protections.

In conclusion, the most critical solution to protecting and attaining descriptive representation for French Muslims is for France and French society to abandon the concept of “French” identity. To do so, France should begin collecting data on race, ethnicity and religion in their census that will make it easier to conduct research. New information will be helpful in increasing French Muslim representation by increasing their protections under the law, making it easier ways to reach out to minority groups and address both explicit and implicit discrimination. These tactics will create a more unified French society as it begins to accept differences, rather than be ignorant of them.