Culture and Integration in France

Here is a story from BBC about one of the most contentious issues in France today. France has a large Muslim population, many of which immigrated from former colonies. The French model of citizenship emphasizes Frenchness and consciously ignores religious, ethnic, and racial identities. The French census does not even collect data on race or religion because the French government does not consider it to be important. Despite this there is a high degree of tension within the Muslim community, which is typically concentrated in poorer neighborhoods where unemployment is more than twice the national average.

Many Muslims try to retain their culture, which provokes anxiety among many native French that their refusal to integrate will change the character of French culture. One of the steps many politicians have called for is the banning of visible signs of non-French culture, especially the head scarf. This issue has been debated for many years, and lies at the heart of French notions of citizenship, national identity, and individual liberty.