Domestic Policy of France and International Relations - Essay Example

Domestic Policy of France and International relations By + Islam is the second most dominant religion in France (Pew Research Centers Religion & Public Life Project, 2011). The number of Muslims in France forms a larger proportion of Muslims in Western Europe region (Greenfield, 2014). A study by INED in 2010 indicates the presence of 2.1million Muslims in France in the age bracket of 18-50 (Cosgrove, 2011). According to the year 1999’s statistics ascribed to the Ministry of Interior, Morocco provides the second-largest number of Muslim immigrants. There is an expected rise in the population of Muslims in France to 6.9 million by the year 2030, the largest group being the Sunni Muslims who form a significant percentage of Muslims in France (Pew Research Centers Religion & Public Life Project, 2011). Muslim domination in France dates back to the 9th century when the Muslims captured the cities of Southern France (Greenfield, 2014). In 1543, the Muslims expelled Christians from Toulon and converted Toulon Cathedral into a mosque (Gemie, 2010). France regained the city of Toulon briefly afterwards. Due to this growing population of Muslims and the rise in incidences of terrorist attacks associated with Muslims, France alongside most Western Europe countries have come up with policies to restrict the continued trend of increasing Muslim immigrants (Euro-islam.info, 2014). Laicite In 1872, France passed a law that prohibits the collection of information on race and beliefs as part of its population census (Cosgrove, 2011). This law ensured the coexistence of various religions and races in the country without fear of intimidation or domination (Therrien, 2007). The law gave assurance of the state’s impartiality and lack of keenness on religious practices. In 1901, France passed the law on association, the Laicite concept of the state’s involvement in religion started to come up (Unaoc.org, 2014). An enactment for the lack of involvement of spiritual affairs in government matters, and the lack of involvement of the state departments in religious issues. In 1905, France passed a law on the distinction of religion from the state, in order for France to adopt the policy of French Secularity. Adoption of Laicite is a core element of the constitution of France, which states meticulously that France is a secular state (Kuru, 2009). According to President Sarkozy, this issue of secularism made it a taboo to allow aspects of religion in state affairs (Christian Today, 2008). The president refers to this as negative secularism, referring to Islam in Riyadh as one of the most adorable civilizations in the world. However, critics consider the president’s choice of words as trick to enable France have business deals with the Arab countries (Christian Today, 2008). Earlier on, President Sarkozy emphasized in a speech in Rome on the domination of Christianity and the basis of France as being on Christianity (Christian Today, 2008). This creates a sense of mixed reactions on the secularity of the state and the recognition of Islam in the country (The Huffington Post UK, 2014). The Muslims had to follow the law of laicity, which prohibits the control of schools by religious groups (Allwood and Wadia, 2009). Any form of identity based on religion in schools such as wearing headscarves for Muslim girls was against the law (Astier, 2004). This posed a great challenge for the Muslim immigrants who held their religious practices and beliefs closely (Gemie, 2010). In what appears to be the reality of treatment of Islam by France, Sarkozy expressly mentioned that France would not accommodate religious practices that are against its laws (Pew Research Centers Religion & Public Life Project, 2011). He said that the Muslim immigrants and residents have to follow the state rules and adapt to them as the supreme law of the land whether they comprehend them or not (Euro-islam.info, 2014). The enforcement of the law on secularism is in a bid to unite the country regardless of religious affiliations (TIME.com, 2010). Secularism is a tool used by France to curb the conspicuous religious practices and symbolisms for Muslims (Kuru, 2009). This is in an attempt to remove any identification means that may contribute to discrimination of other religions. France commits to ensure that the freedom of conscience is more superior to the freedom of religion (Freedom and Decherf, 2001). This policy discourages Muslim extremists from immigrating into France for fear of intimidation and breaking Islamic rules (Freedman, 2004). How France deals with Islamic culture The various terrorist attacks planned and executed by Muslims against United States of America and other countries have increased the concern of France in dealing with immigrants from Morocco and other Islamic nations (Freedman, 2004). France calls for selective immigration and emphasizes that all Muslims must learn French and use it as the main language of communication (Euro-islam.info, 2014). France set policies on identification of immigrants in order to curb the rise in Muslim criminals hiding in the veil of religion (Therrien, 2007). Muslim women need to cover themselves at all times and only leave the parts of the eye in order to see (Lettinga, 2011). France made it mandatory for any Muslim woman seeking to migrate to France to be ready to take uncovered photographs to for the purposes of preparing identification documents (Euro-islam.info, 2014). This discourages the growth of Muslim immigrants into France due to the fear of the serious offence of exposing the face and hair in public according to Islamic laws on the conduct of women (Watson, 2003). France believes that the hiding of identities by Muslims may pose a security threat to the nation (Fetzer and Soper, 2005). The requirement for knowledge of identity among other religions except Muslim is a move that goes against the principles of secularism (Lettinga, 2011). With reference to Islamic laws, male doctors should attend to female patients (Kern, 2014). Women of the Islamic religion who wish to migrate into the state and those who are already residents should be willing to see a male doctor. France insists that all the people, whether Islam or not, should respect the laws of the state. Some of the laws contradict the Islamic culture of dressing and conduct. France also requires that Muslims should be ready and willing to bear with the politics of the country (Sinno, 2009). Muslims have had a culture of political uprisings in their Arab countries and this policy aimed at creating and ensuring maintenance of political stability in France (Fetzer and Soper, 2005). France policy insists that the people of Islamic religion should be ready to shun their culture at the expense of the nation’s culture and control (Kuru, 2009). The nation is superior to any culture and all the people need to adapt to the culture of the nation even if it contradicts their religious cultures (Meijer and Bakker, 2012). In 2001, France made a move that other nations consider as a hindrance to religious freedom (Gurfinkiel, 1997). France passed a law on dangerous cults in order to regulate the functions and operation of all religious groups. Many consider this law as targeting the Muslim culture of investment for its sustainability (Chapman, 2010). France knows that the economic empowerment of people based on their religion is a path leading to formation of terrorist groups associated with religions that are dominant in Arab nations (Dennis, 2005). The state reserves the right to grant exemptions to tax or charge tax on the income of associations where it deems fit (Farrar, 2012). Why France cannot resist the immigration wave At the time of the First World War, the demand for mine laborers and soldiers was high in France. France decided to recruit tens of thousands men from Morocco into the army and industry (Focus Migration, 2014). Most immigrants returned to Morocco, although the growing economy of France attracted more immigrants in the 1920’s (Farrar, 2012). Upon the closure of the Algerian-Moroccan border, the focus of migrations from Morocco was mainly Europe. The rapid economic growth experienced after the Second World War, saw a growing demand for workers in France and other parts of Europe (Pew Research Centers Religion & Public Life Project, 2011). France signed an agreement with Morocco for guest workers in order to offset the growing demand in the labor market (Focus Migration, 2014). Moroccans that managed to settle successfully acted a link between their relatives in Morocco and potential employers in order to bring their relatives to France. These connections propagated the migration of Moroccans to France (Tribalat, 2007). Following the oil crisis in the 1970’s, France developed policies to curb the increasing number of Moroccan immigrants into the country. The oil crisis contributed to an economic decline that led to limited employment opportunities (Meijer and Bakker, 2012). France restricted the number of immigrants into its territory by closing its borders and freezing new recruitments (Hirji, 2010). A freeze on new recruitments and closing of borders for Moroccan immigrants made the immigrants settle permanently in France rather than return to Morocco (Freedman, 2004). After the oil crisis, the economy of France began to flourish again and the demand for labor was growing with time. The high demand by France for both unskilled and skilled human resource The issue of Muslim immigrants is proving to be a difficult area to tackle by the French authorities. The potential immigrants now use marriage as a way to get to France. Since there is a lot of corruption, visa application difficulties, and other barriers, Moroccans have resorted to marriage with French nationals as an easy way to get citizenship in France (Watson, 2003). The growth in the number of Muslim immigrants in France was due to intermarriages between the immigrants and their Moroccan relatives and friends (Tribalat, 2007). The immigrants go to their home country to look for spouses in order to help them come get to France. The immigrants also connect their relatives at home (Morocco) to potential employers and help them out to settle in France (Dennis, 2005). France points at Islam as the main cause of immigrant challenges in the country (Euro-islam.info, 2014). The increasing awareness and campaigns against religious discrimination is putting pressure on France to consider its policy on Islam. Many countries including United States of America (USA) are against Islamic domination although they do not impose strict rules that form a barrier to the practices of Muslims (Andall, 2003). The most notable pressure on France to consider its laws on secularism is when students faced condemnation when they wore headscarves (Pauly, 2004). The media focus and international outcry for freedom of religion made France to soften its position on laicity (Hirji, 2010). France allowed students to wear headscarves only if this will not raise issues on religion or with an intention of raising religious divisions (Ramdani, 2010). In 2002, Sarkozy facilitated the creation of a French council that would look into issues of the Muslim faith. This was a move that was subject to a lot of criticism but he went ahead to do it. Islam was the last religion to have an organization that represents their issues (Liogier, 2009). The radical approach in looking at the public interests and the grievances of the Muslim community was one of the major causes delay in forming the organization (Liogier, 2009). Allowing headscarves in schools and formation of the council are steps that may promote immigration from Muslim countries like Morocco since they view France as becoming a friendly destination as pressure for religious tolerance increases (Thomas, 2011). As time goes by, there is an expectation for more lenient policies that allow for religious freedom and culture (Ferrari and Cristofori, 2010). Why this issue is important The way France handles issues on religion and particularly Islam is very important in international relations and peace within the state (Washington Post, 2014). The United States of America expressly shows its discomfort in how France handles Islamic religion. France supports freethinking on equality of all persons while the USA emphasizes on the need for freedom of all people to practice their religion and the right of the Muslims to stay Muslim (Ferrari and Cristofori, 2010). This difference in perspective of handling religious matters has an implication on their thoughts and attitudes in making foreign policies (Washington Post, 2014). For instance, the USA considers the civil war in Sudan to be a warfare propagated by religious conflicts. The USA puts more emphasis on religious harmony in a bid to seek reconciliation and end the war. On the other hand, France considers the Sudan war to be a case of secular hunger for power and political superiority (Sinno, 2009). Islamic issues in France are essential for the relations between France and Islamic nations. Islamic nations are rich in resources and provide a good market for trade. A good diplomatic relationship between France and these Islamic nations is necessary for a mutually beneficial coexistence (Thomas, 2011). The way France puts restrictions Islamic culture is likely to result in souring diplomatic engagements between France and the Arab states (Andall, 2003). The Arab nations may view France as an enemy who wants to undermine Islamic religion. This perception may negatively influence the trade between the nations and France. This treatment of Islamic religion and the subsequent negative impact on trade is likely to have adverse effects on the economy of France. In a bid to secure continued mutual relationship and exploration of opportunities for further engagement, Sarkozy made a description of Islam as among the most beautiful civilizations worldwide in his speech at Riyadh (Meijer and Bakker, 2012). Although, critics consider his sentiments to be untrue in relation to his earlier speech in Rome showing domination of Christianity and emphasis that it was the role of his government to ensure people are of hope/Christians (Understandfrance.org, 2014). A strong stance by the French government is likely to initiate animosity among terrorist groups that ascribe to Islam (Therrien, 2014). The groups may develop tactics and means to try to frustrate the efforts of France in enforcing its laws that conflict with Islamic doctrines (Landauro, 2014). They may employ intimidation or even attacks in order to bring change in the country’s legislations. For example, in the early 2000’s, an Islamic rebel group in Iraq kidnapped two journalists of French origin (UNESCO Portal, 2004). The rebel group accused the journalists of carrying out undercover operations in Iraq. In exchange for the release of the two journalists, the Islamic group demanded the change of laws in France in order to allow girls to wear hijab in public and in schools (Allwood and Wadia, 2009). This was a bold move by the Iraq group to send a message of dissatisfaction in the treatment of Muslims in France (Lonergan.org, 2014). However, the group released the journalists after some time (UNESCO Portal, 2004). The French government should also consider the influence its policies have on the public. Reports of discrimination against Muslims in the country are rampant due to the way the governments treats the Muslims (Cbsnews.com, 2014). A study conducted in 2010 by INSEE revealed that Muslims had a 2.5 times lesser chance of securing a job interview as compared to Christian of similar qualifications. The discrimination goes to the point of destruction of grave in cemeteries for Islamic religion. Since the government seems to be harsh on the Muslims, the public is likely to follow in these footsteps of the government (English.bayynat.org, 2014). The acts of discrimination go against the law of France on laicity that promotes equal treatment of people without considering their religious backgrounds (Aljazeera.com, 2014). The growing incidences and threats of terrorism among groups that are Islamic extremists show the necessity for keen attention in handling Islam. A continued process of discrimination may result in discomfort among Muslims, which may result into a “holy war” in the country as Muslims try to fight for their rightful position in the state (Todd, 2014). The Muslim terror groups usually justify their terrorist missions as a religious issue, calling it jihad (Ferrari and Cristofori, 2010). France has to continue monitoring closely the activities of the Muslim community in order to take precautions against imminent connections between the Muslims in France, and the terrorist gangs in the Arab nations (Pauly, 2004). The criminal groups may be able to reach various destinations and strategic points of France if they have support from within France (Nytimes.com, 2014). These connections pose a potential threat to the security of the state and to the political stability of the nation (Landauro, 2014). References Aljazeera.com, (2014). Muslims of France. [online] Available at: http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/specialseries/2013/12/muslims-france-2013122082835640302.html [Accessed 15 Oct. 2014]. Allwood, G. and Wadia, K. (2009). Gender and policy in France. 1st ed. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Andall, J. 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