Report Reveals Increase in Religious Discrimination in France
A report published on Thursday by the French Defender of Rights reveals an increase in religious-based discrimination in France, with one in three Muslims surveyed claiming to have been a victim. This rate is higher among people of Muslim origin: 34% of Muslims, or those perceived as such, reported being victims of discrimination, compared to around 19% for other religions, including Judaism and Buddhism, and only 4% for Christians. This percentage reaches 38% among Muslim women, compared to 31% among men. The report highlights that discrimination can lead to exclusion, particularly for Muslim women wearing the headscarf (hijab), adding that veiled women are "stigmatized in public spaces and face restrictions in their professional lives." The report explains that this includes being forced to leave their jobs, accepting lower positions than their qualifications, or turning to self-employment when they cannot find employment, noting that they are sometimes prevented from participating in sports. According to the report, 7% of those surveyed reported being victims of religious-based discrimination in the past five years, compared to 5% in 2016. France is home to a significant Muslim community from immigration from its former colonies, particularly North African countries. French law prohibits the collection of data on individuals based on their race or religion, making it difficult to obtain large-scale statistics on discrimination. However, the president of the Defender of Rights, Claire Hédon, relied on a 2024 survey of five thousand people representative of the French population. French secularism stems from a 1905 law that protects freedom of belief and separates church and state. But in recent years, it has been used as justification to ban religious symbols such as the Islamic veil in certain places, such as public schools. Some French Muslims claim that there is growing hostility towards them in the country, especially with the warnings from the right and far-right in major media against what they call "Islamic progression," after the deadliest attacks ever perpetrated in the country in Paris in 2015. The report states that about a quarter of participants in another separate survey misunderstood French secularism, thinking it meant the "prohibition of religious symbols in public spaces," which it described as a "misinterpretation." The report calls for better education on French secularism, stating that policy measures sometimes used to combat religious-based discrimination, such as banning the wearing of headscarves for women in certain places, "contribute to reinforcing" it.
