Hypocrisy
in France unfair toward Muslims
Rabab Ali Atwi
They said, “Oh, no. The Muslims did it again.”
This was the reaction of many people after they heard and watched the news concerning
the recent chaos in France.
The question many people are asking is: Why did this happen? The most “sensible” answer
would be, “For god’s sake, Muslims and Arabs don’t need excuses
for their stupid actions. Those people are addicted to violence.”
Why did this happen? Dominique de Villepin, the French prime minister, said what
happened was the result of the long negligence of the refugee’s needs.
These French citizens and refugees de Villpin is talking about are not slackers
who hate work and expect the government to support them; however, they are Arabs
and Muslims who have been denied employment simply because their first or last
names are Ahmed, Ali or Muhammad.
The motto of the French Republic is “fraternity, equality and justice.” Let
us see the justice our French friends are ready to die for. In French public
schools, Muslim girls cannot wear the headscarf, which is the religious duty
of every Muslim girl. This is equality the French way.
As for fraternity, if one is a Muslim or Arab, one has to tolerate the discrimination
one might face in France because of a lack of European descent.
I will give you an example about equality according to the French recipe. One
of my friends, a French citizen of Lebanese descent, had the hardest time renting
an apartment in Paris, not because she did not have the money, but because her
last name is Murtada, an obviously Muslim last name.
Well, honestly speaking, practice has shown the French, like many people around
the word, do not act upon the slogans they create and pretend to respect.
The irony is the French always present themselves to the Arab world as the generous
ally who sides with them when others jilt them.
However, when it comes to practice, the French government does nothing to help
Muslims and Arabs. The French government has cut funds from charitable organizations
that help Muslims and Arabs living in its poor suburbs.
Violence is not the solution; this is something we all agree on. But at the same
time, we can all agree human beings should be treated fairly, regardless of their
religion, ethnicity or socio-economic status.
Those citizens and refuges are poor people who escaped or at least tried to escape
the poverty in their respective countries. If they had known France would treat
them in an inhumane way, they would have probably preferred to die with dignity
in their own countries.
The best thing you should do, dear French, is not to threaten the refugees with
deportation if the riots continue, but rather descend from your ivory towers
and stop thinking you are better humans simply because you speak French fluently.
Rabab Ali Atwi is a graduate student in the College of Education.
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