Ebook: What’s In A Word? Intersectionality and the Identity of Muslim Women in France Today

Over the past few decades, France has been experiencing an identity crisis of sorts. As more and more immigrants have come into the country, France has become, to its chagrin, a multicultural nation. According to the Pew Research, Center France has the largest Jewish population in Europe and the second largest Muslim population, with many Muslims families immigrating from former colonies in North Africa. France has begun to question how it can remain French with all of these non-French nationals coming into the country. Their solution is complete assimilation: anyone can become French as long as they must become completely French. This firm stance on assimilation has made it difficult for some minorities, Muslims specifically, to be fully accepted in France. Simple actions such as covering one’s hair can be interpreted as disrespect for French values. Islamic culture is largely seen as incompatible with western French values and is deemed by some to be a threat to the Republic. Citizens who eat halal meat, have an Arabic name, or choose to wear modest swimwear are seen as ‘other’ and as not part of the national identity. Stuck in the middle of all of this are Muslim women, particularly those who choose to cover their hair. These women face multiple cultural challenges: they are Muslim and therefore must deal with anti-Islamic hatred, they are women and therefore must deal with sexism, and then they must deal with the unique combinations of racism and sexism due to their multiple identities. Muslim women in France are dealing with intersectional oppression stemming from their religious and gender identities.