La France Éternelle

La France Éternelle - La Liberté Guidant Son Peuple
Joan of Ark leading her crusade against the English

Fighting to be Muslim and French

La Lorraine est française!

Lorraine is French!

Metz, oh chaste house of the old long-haired Franks / The vulture has those hills and those meadows under its wing/ And yet, all of that is our Eternal France. Victor Hugo

All French children learn in school "Nos ancêtres sont les Gaulois" (Our ancestors are the Gauls), a historical lesson complemented by the accounts of Julius Caesar who upon conquest of the region in 50 BC portrayed the Celtic people living West of the Rhine as proud, arrogant, fun-loving, and feisty but not vicious. Many of the anecdotes from the Gallic wars are brought out in popular Astérix comics for children. From there our lesson moves on to the vast cultural legacy the Romans left, the accomplishments of the Norman-vikings, and the arrival of the Franks culminating in the great empire of Charlemagne. History books show triumph after triumph in the building of a modern French nation, a huge European melting pot coalescing around the French language and Gallo-Romaine culture.

The blending of peoples didn't stop there. Throughout the Middle Ages and Modern times many different peoples found their way to France. The Langlais, Langlois, Lallemand surnames testify to those left behind after years of war with neighboring countries. Likewise, movements of Slavs, Germans, Scandinavians, and Latins have also been dully documented. The French republic saw it a duty to welcome those fleeing undemocratic regimes. One of the latest examples occurred at the beginning of the 20th centuries when Armenians fleeing Turkish genocide were given asylum in Southern France. After WWII, as the economy expanded, large number of immigrants came from Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Poland to add to the workforce. They were followed by North Africans and Equatorial Africans after independence was given to French colonies. Most of their children are French-speaking and have integrated without a trace of their origin. Being accustomed to the proud immigrant groups in the US, it is surprising to note that in France assimilation is total and swift. The examples are countless and immigration continues unabated to this day. In fact, some of France's great has immigrant origins: Chopin, Marie Curie, Vincent Van Gogh, Ionesco, Picasso to name but a few.

Whenever I start a new class I immediate look at the official class roster. The majority of last names are not Gaul sounding. It's actually extremely rare to find Le Gall, Le Maire, Le Roy, Le Blond on these lists. In a recent evening class, all the participants had parents born in foreign countries. As we can imagine migration was one of our favorite subjects. Antoinette, a 35 year old accountant, spoke emotionally about being cheated out of her Italian heritage. Much to her chagrin, she was never taught Italian and avoids family reunions in Italy since she cannot speak with her cousins. Linda, born in Algeria, gave a similar family story of quick cultural assimilation with ties with the homeland forever broken. Alain, of Vietnamese descent, summed it up like this. If you are French you are French. The French don't eat rice for every meal or pray to Buddha. If you want that, your place is not in France.

With this prevailing attitude, it seems so odd, then, that in recent times protecting France from foreigners is on the lips of so many Frenchmen. But protection from what? Eric Besson, the former minister of immigration, led a highly publicized debate on National Identity during the first Sarkozy government. Should France be allowed to change into something different? Could continued immigration dilute the character of the French people beyond recognition? Is Islam a threat to the treasured French attachment to secularism? Religion should not be seen nor heard! Is it just the mere presence of foreigners that is so bad? Or is it their lack of integration? Should we deport them all? Must we require them to speak fluent French even before they arrive? Could that work? Or, is it about much more than speaking French and knowing the culture? Some people now believe being French is a question of genes, or at least a set type of attitude towards life, if not a raison d'être. How could one possibly be French if one refuses to drink wine and eat ham? Can the definition of Frenchness evolve over time or is it eternal?Quite literally, the French were officially invited to define "La France éternelle".

Unsurprisingly, much of the anger appears directed toward muslims. "Anti-islamic" laws were put in place to control the spreading influence of this religion and reinforce secularism. First, the head scarf was banned from public buildings. Girls were denied entry to schools if they wore anything on their heads. Women were denied help in government buildings if they didn't take it completely off. Those men with their long beards had to shave to have any rights. Second, the burka and similar garments covering the face were outlawed everywhere like a firearm. In France faces are uncovered at all times! Finally, the institution of French Islam was founded in Paris to promote an official French version of the religion. No following any of those dictates from North Africa or the Middle East. Nursery schools became available after age 3 as it's never too early to start Frenchization and break a sense of Arab identity.

Marine Le Pen upped the ante. For her, France is tangible, incompatible with "new" immigrants who might well end up becoming more numerous than "old" Frenchmen. Should that happen the Muslims may end up ruling over the entire country and will certainly impose their anti-french ideas. She reiterates she is fighting for the rights of those people who have no homeland to go back to. Her party, the National Front, is in favor of closing borders, stripping rights away from foreigners in certain circumstances and deporting them to their nation of origin. Their symbol is Joan of Ark, the legendary savior of France who upon hearing voices from God led an army to expel the English during the Hundred Year's War. About 20% of the French voted for Le Pen in the last election, so 1 in 5 support FN ideas. They would ban islam outright. Former president, Nicolas Sarkozy (whose father was hungarian), accepted quite a few of their precepts in an attempt to attract voters from the right. He agreed to seal up borders and expel half of the foreigners. During his presidency he also deported the Roma to Eastern Europe.

So, the debate goes on. The Socialists recent return to power gives a push to the proponents of the melting pot. "La France éternelle" is an ideal of liberty, equality and fraternity. Everyone finds his/her place granted he/she accepts all the ideas related to the French republic, its constitution, including the official language, the culture and secularism. In my modest experience, this is already a fait accompli, for better or for worse. Here is an interesting anecdote to conclude. My boss, a very strong advocate of Le Pen and the National Front, proposed the traditional end of year trip to a restaurant. This year she decided to choose a North African couscous establishment for the event. She apparently does not even consider the contradictions between her actions and her beliefs. Besides, her surname is German-sounding and husband is from Serbia. Complex la france éternelle...

Copyright 2012 Merquiades