Sharif Gemie - French Muslims: New Voices in Contemporary France

FRENCH AND FRANCOPHONE STUDIES

French Muslims

Series Editors

Hanna Diamond (University of Bath)

Claire Gorrara (Cardiff University)

Editorial Board

Ronan le Coadic (Universit Rennes 2)

Nicola Cooper (Swansea University)

Didier Francfort (Universit Nancy 2)

Sharif Gemie (University of Glamorgan)

H. R. Kedward (Sussex University)

Margaret A. Majumdar (University of Portsmouth)

Nicholas Parsons (Cardiff University)

Max Silverman (University of Leeds)

French Muslims

New Voices in Contemporary France

Sharif Gemie

Sharif Gemie, 2010

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any material form (including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 610 Kirby Street, London, EC1N 8TS. Applications for the copyright owners written permission to reproduce any part of this publication should be addressed to the University of Wales Press, 10 Columbus Walk, Brigantine Place, Cardiff, CF10 4UP.

www.uwp.co.uk

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN: 9780708323205

e-ISBN 978-1-78316-597-1

The right of Sharif Gemie to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77, 78 and 79 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

The publisher has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for any external or third-party internet websites referred to in this book, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

Cover image: Clifford Hayes.

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This series showcases the work of new and established scholars working within the fields of French and francophone studies. It publishes introductory texts aimed at a student readership, as well as research-orientated monographs at the cutting edge of their discipline area. The series aims to highlight shifting patterns of research in French and francophone studies, to re-evaluate traditional representations of French and francophone identities and to encourage the exchange of ideas and perspectives across a wide range of discipline areas. The emphasis throughout the series will be on the ways in which French and francophone communities across the world are evolving into the twenty-first century.

Hanna Diamond and Claire Gorrara

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This is my fifth book. It would be nice to say that I find that theyre getting easier; this has not been the case, and this work in particular has led me to analyse some new and difficult issues. However, I have truly enjoyed writing this book, and I hope that alongside the polemics and political passion that this book considers, this work will inspire readers to share my interest in these topics.

At various points I have called on friends and colleagues to help, advise, guide and even warn me about my many draft versions of this book. In no particular order, Id like to thank, Paul Chambers, Ruth Kinna, Anthony Fiscella, Penny Richards, Brian Ireland, Laure Humbert, Gavin Edwards, Chris Meredith, Tom Cahill, Ali Wardak, Mona al- Honi and Louise Rees for assistance with particular awkward points; Sarah Lewis, the commissioning editor for University of Wales Press, for her encouragement and, in particular, for her invaluable assistance during a difficult moment in January 2008. And also Patricia Clark, for so much.

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There were times when I could not stop myself from admiring Jacques Chirac. As president of the French Republic, he seemed to incarnate the dignity of statesmanship in a manner that left his contemporary, Tony Blair, looking amateurish. One of these moments occurred in September 2003. Readers may remember the extraordinary heatwave which swept across Europe during that summer, stifling dozens of old, frail people in many cities. In Paris, as elsewhere, there were tragic cases in which, days after their death, lonely anonymous corpses were found in cheap apartments, under bridges and in wastelands, the last remains of tramps, alcoholics and down-and-outs. Often no one came forward to claim them, despite the best efforts of the Parisian authorities to identify them and to locate relatives. Finally, in September 2003, a decision was taken to bury these wretched, lost victims, with the municipality arranging the procedures. At that moment, Chirac stepped in. He chose to attend these funerals, for even a dead tramp was a citizen of the Republic. Chiracs presence embodied a type of trans-political solidarity that transcended social, cultural and political divisions. This incident may have been the last occasion on which the values of French Republicanism were successfully presented as embodying ideals of social inclusion.