Islam and Laïcité in France

Abstract

Since France has the largest Muslim community in Europe, and since Islam is the second most important religion in France numerically, it is not surprising that Islam is the subject of regular debates in French society. For decades, Muslim migrants in France made no religious, social or political demands but remained invisible because France was not their country and they intended to return one day to their countries of origin. Since the 1980s, however, a new French Muslim generation has grown up whose members have not hesitated to identify themselves as Muslims in both the public and private spheres, treating Islam not only as a unique religious and cultural identity but as a social one as well. This evolution and the visibility of certain religious practices challenge the mainstream vision of laïcité, the French version of church-state relations. So what main legal problems have emerged due to the demands from Muslims that France is now faced with? How have French society and institutions responded to the settlement of Muslim immigrants, and how has the latter’s incorporation been facilitated, contested and negotiated? Finally, how have Muslim immigrants adapted their culture and institutional structures to their host societies?