If You Are An Arab Or Black In France – Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité Is Useless

A year after France’s top court acknowledged systemic racial profiling, discriminatory practices persist, disproportionately targeting Black and Arab communities.

Paris, the so-called city of romance and lights, has an utterly dangerous dark side, where people with dark skin or Arab origin are tormented, labelled as ‘outsiders’ and not French enough.

Last year, France’s highest administrative court, the Council of State, recognised that racial profiling by law enforcement was a systemic issue rather than isolated incidents.

Dr. Amina Easat-Daas, a Political Scientist at De Montfort University and an author, tells TRT World that calls from international organisations such as the UN to limit racial profiling have gone unheeded.

“Racial profiling by law enforcement cannot be viewed in isolation but must be understood as a symptom of larger systemic issues,” Easat-Daas says.

“Evidence suggests that French racialised communities are twenty times more likely to be stopped by police.”

Police identity checks, particularly targeting Black and Arab youth and even teenagers, often escalate into violence.

One recent harrowing example is the fatal shooting of Nahel, a 17-year-old of Algerian descent, during a traffic stop last year. Such incidents have eroded trust between law enforcement and marginalised communities, compounding a sense of injustice.

The broader pattern

Racial profiling stems from the long-standing issue of institutional inequality plaguing France and other parts of Europe.

A survey by the Representative Council of France’s Black Associations (CRAN) revealed that 91 percent of Black respondents in mainland France reported experiencing racial discrimination, with 85 percent citing their skin colour as a direct cause.

These issues are most prevalent in public spaces and workplaces, with significant barriers also reported in housing and education.

Muslims face similar challenges.

According to a report by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), nearly half of Muslim respondents across Europe have experienced racism in daily life, often tied to their clothing, ethnic background, or beliefs, despite varying professional and social realities across the region.

More than half of Europe’s 44 million Muslims born on the continent report racial discrimination when applying for jobs, suggesting unequal treatment compared to individuals with comparable language skills and qualifications.

Women wearing visible religious symbols, such as headscarves, face even higher levels of bias in the workplace, with 45 percent experiencing discrimination in professional environments, a significant increase from 31 percent in 2016.

Muslims also encounter notable obstacles in the housing market, with roughly 35 percent reporting discrimination while attempting to rent or buy property, up from 22 percent in 2016, according to the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).

The FRA attributes this rise in anti-Muslim sentiment to conflicts in the Middle East and dehumanising rhetoric used by politicians and far-right figures across the continent.

Easat-Daas offers a similar viewpoint, arguing that these discriminatory practices are deeply entrenched in global racist frameworks rooted in colonialism.

“The pseudo-legitimisation of the dehumanisation of Black and Arab/Muslim populations through racist structures allows law enforcement to disproportionately target racialised groups seemingly without consequence,” she says.

Ban on ‘ostentatious’ faith symbols

The effects of racial profiling extend beyond policing. Easat-Daas highlights how systemic racism impacts marginalised communities on multiple levels.

“In France, racialised communities are likely to find themselves excluded from education, such as through the ban on ostentatious faith symbols in schools, which disproportionately affects Muslim women. They are also excluded from employment and housing through profiling,” she says.

These forms of exclusion have deep social and psychological effects, further entrenching cycles of inequality. Only a fraction of victims file complaints due to trust deficit with the judicial system.

Drawing parallels with high-profile cases like the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, in the US or the police killing of Adil, a 19-year-old Moroccan boy, in Belgium, Easat-Daas says France’s racial profiling is a deep seated problem that needs to be tackled head on.

“These instances highlight how Black men and Arab/Muslim men disproportionately bear the brunt of racist policing globally, often with grave consequences, including loss of life,” she says.

France’s Systemic Islamophobia Drives Muslim Women Out — Report

Veiled women in France face discrimination in education, work, and society due to rising Islamophobia, prompting a demand for inclusive policies to support their inclusion and careers.

Increasing Islamophobia at the political and societal levels leads to the exclusion of veiled women from society, despite them being born and raised in France, being highly educated and possessing professional skills that would contribute to the country.

Interviews by George V Magazine with 20 Muslim women who left or planned to leave France revealed workplace discrimination.

The report showed that discrimination and lack of social acceptance often force Muslim women to seek job opportunities beyond the borders of France.

The report, aimed at examining the extent of Islamophobia toward women in France and provided a list of recommendations to combat the discrimination, highlighted how “coercive policies” completely restrict veiled women from working in the public sector, reinforce discrimination against the headscarf in the private sector and increase Islamophobia at the societal level.

In addition to facing discrimination in the workplace, Muslim women in France also experience discrimination in education and civil society.

The ban on headscarves in France keeps veiled women from schools and negatively affects their careers and general well-being.

Despite their motivation to contribute to French society, Muslim women are not allowed to share their skills and experiences in educational environments.

Denied rights

The prevention of the participation of Muslim women in civil society activities emerges as another area where they feel excluded.

French Muslim women, whose views were consulted for the report, shared that they chose to leave the country and continue their careers abroad due to the prevalence of Islamophobia.

Muslim women who choose to stay in France are forced to make difficult decisions such as removing their headscarves to conform to societal pressure or withdrawing from the workforce in the face of discrimination.

Islamophobic state policies and society’s discriminatory attitude in France exacerbate the problems faced by Muslim women, who make up about 7 million, or 10% of the population.

The report highlights the lack of solution-oriented policies for the Muslim community in France, where religious symbols, including headscarves, were banned in schools in 2004 and expanded in 2010 to include veils covering the face entirely in public spaces.

In the recommendations section of the report, policymakers are advised to develop inclusive and participatory policies, recognise Islamophobic attitudes as hate crimes, and implement deterrent sanctions against actions stemming from Islamophobia.

AFP AP