As French Muslims continue to demonstrate and fight for their right of the freedom of expression, many have seen this peaceful demonstration, which saw many French Muslims hoisting French flags, as a sign that it is the government, and not French Muslims, who are headbutting against true French values.
As French Muslims continue to demonstrate and fight for their right of the freedom of expression, many have seen this peaceful demonstration, which saw many French Muslims hoisting French flags, as a sign that it is the government, and not French Muslims, who are headbutting against true French values.
This Sunday saw more than 10,000 people march through the otherwise quaint streets of Paris, protesting against the growing rise of Islamophobia and discrimination against Muslims in France. This comes only two weeks after the mosque shooting in the southern city of Bayonne, when an elderly Frenchman shot and injured Muslim worshippers at a mosque.
Although heavily criticized by numerous French and other news-outlets as being Salafi-backed or supporting religious extremism, this widespread demonstration, which saw similar marches in the city of Marseilles as well, was a strong attempt at demonstrating their right, as French citizens, to openly practice whatever faith they believe in.
Muslim women in France are protesting the controversial “burkini ban”
Others criticized the demonstration as being supposedly anti-secularist, with the state secretary in charge of fighting discrimination, Marlene Schiappa, calling this historic march a protest against secularism “under the guise of combating discrimination”. To counter this, many demonstrators held signs that read:
Yes to criticism of religion, no to hate against the faithful.
According to a survey conducted earlier this month by Ifop, more than 40% of Muslims in France feel they have experienced religious discrimination, despite Islam being the second biggest religion in the country. And despite calls for liberty, equality, and fraternity, France’s harsh discrimination against those who wear the hijab, or show any outward sign of religion, can be seen as a direct challenge of what the true meaning of liberty and equality are.
As French Muslims continue to demonstrate and fight for their right of the freedom of expression, many have seen this peaceful demonstration, which saw many French Muslims hoisting French flags, as a sign that it is the government, and not French Muslims, who are headbutting against true French values.
