In my last blog I recommended Jean Birnbaum’s book “A Religious Silence” analysing the difficulty of the French Left to recognise religion’s power to inspire the actions of individuals and groups. Few facts were available at the time to explain the latest horrific attack that had killed 84 people and injured 300 in Nice, so the usual talking heads continued to say it was "stupid" to think this was anything but the act of a desperately unhappy and disturbed individual determined to commit suicide with a splash. We now know the French/Tunisian perpetrator had clear, if recent, links to radical Islam. Last week, an 85-year-old priest was brutally murdered in his church by two men who proceeded to preach their religion in his place.
There are now signs of change. The Catholic Church was stirred into action, calling for peace and harmony and urgently inviting Muslims to join them in prayers for the murdered priest. The Prime Minister published a long press article analysing the insidious role of Islamic fundamentalism that was poisoning French society. He called for a massive engagement of Muslims to reform “Islam of France” and help show the world that Islam is compatible with democracy. A group of 41 lay leaders of the Muslim community responded with a public commitment recognising that action was needed to counter the influence on young Muslims of “Jihadist Islam” and “political Islam”, to reorganise Muslim institutions and to ensure it will be possible tomorrow to be both French and Muslim in a secular republic.
On television, reform-minded imams and intellectuals used clear language and a sense of urgency to spell out what needs to be done: a new system for training and funding of imams to free them from foreign influence; theological reform to allow interpretation of historical texts to nullify incitement to violence and to encourage respect of other faiths, including tolerance of dress and cultural traditions of the host country. Obviously only Muslims can lead such a courageous and ambitious project.
All this gives reason for hope, but the challenges are immense. The task is the work of a generation, the PM said, and push-back with be fierce from many quarters. Forty-one individuals is a small number to lead a Muslim community of more than five million, including many conservatives. Numerous neighbourhoods across France are in the grip of ideologues and foreign states with strong ties with France will not easily step back. Secular France will challenge any concessions toward religion including public spending to support to support mosques or imam training. It is even unclear whether the Prime Minister has the support of the President or the rest of his government, while politicians of all stripes are preparing for elections next May.
It is regrettable and troubling that the lay leaders’ statement, which began by recognising five terrible acts of murder committed in the name of Allah, failed to mention any of the acts that targeted Jews as Jews: not Alain Halimi, not eight-year-old Miriam Monsonego nor Jonathan Sandler and his two sons killed at Ozar Hatorah school in Toulouse, and not the four Hypercacher victims killed two days after Charlie Hebdo. This striking omission creates a sense of malaise for the Jews of France and raises questions about the nature of national reconciliation these Muslim leaders have in mind.
Reuven Levi has been a Paris resident for 35 years. He was married in the United States and is a father of three, grandfather of six, and an active volunteer in the Jewish Community.
