France's Invisible Minority (5 million arabs, 0 in parliament)

BBC News ^ | June 6, 2002 | Hugh Schofield

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

It is a striking fact that in a country - France - which contains around five million people of Arab origin, not one of them is a member of parliament.

One could go further. Not a single "beur" - as the French of North African origin are known - is in the upper house, the Senate. Nor are there any beur mayors - out of a total of 36,000.

For many in France, the figures are not just striking, but highly embarrassing and symptomatic of perhaps the country's most glaring failure of modern times.

If criminality and unemployment in the rundown "banlieus" are now such a pressing problem, if crowds of young men feel emboldened to whistle the Marseillaise at the Stade de France, then much can arguably be laid at the door of this total lack of political representation.

"It is shameful for France," said Zair Kedadouche - a former adviser to ex-prime minister Alain Juppe and author of a new book, "France and the Beurs".

"I am ashamed every time I go to Britain or the US. When I tell people that such a huge minority has no political representatives they are dumbstruck. And France is a country that presumes to give lessons to the world!"

[vastrightwing_armadillo]

MMmmm, you are right on that count, Hos'. I don't support affirmative action, and, from your post, I would assume (makes an a$$ of you and me, I know, but it's all I can do), that you don't support it either.

That being said, having co-cultural-specific organizations to help minorities assimilate and deal with life in this new country, as well as representation of said minorities in gov't is not affirmative action.

It is justice.

[HostileTerritory]

It's just smart. You don't give an aspirin to someone with a fever and then give another aspirin to someone with cancer.

What we're seeing in France now is the results of 20 years of refusing to acknowledge that these 5 million "Frenchmen" are anything but, and that they know it.

[Mount Athos]

What is shocking is that France, which constantly declares its "social model" as superior to that of the US, can't even assimilate such a large percentage of the population such that they would participate in the elections or democratic institutions of the country.

I am skeptical this criticism is fair. It is certainly not shocking. Would this population assimilate in ANY democracy, even the most perfect one in the world? I'm not so sure.

[Starve The Beast]

It is a source of continual amazement to me that American liberals esteem France as such a supposedly more advanced society than the US.

The French say nasty things about the US, and blame us for everything. That makes them sound sophisticated to Lefties.

[CheyennePress]

I don't think I'd want to call them my own. Nor would I want them running for political office. At least not the power hungry types, judging from those who rise to power elsewhere in the world.

Call me what you will; I see this as a good thing.

France does have some African-natives holding office, though, doesn't it?

[RJL]

It is a striking fact that in a country - France - which contains around five million people of Arab origin, not one of them is a member of parliament.

One could go further. Not a single "beur" - as the French of North African origin are known - is in the upper house, the Senate. Nor are there any beur mayors - out of a total of 36,000.

It seems like the UN, the eu or the International Criminal Court "ICC" should be doing something about this.

[Unam Sanctam]

Whether the population would assimilate is not the question. The issue is that France consistently vaunts its "superior" social model, which includes strict promotion of "secular" values and, historically, a "mission civilisatrice" to turn North Africans and others into Frenchmen. Their whole claim to superiority is shown to be false.

[Kristopher]

"...but means that France ignores the problems that Arabs have in France because they are Arabs."

No quite true. Arabs in France have excluded themselves. They have created their own ghettoes by forcing white French people out of the Cites.

The few White people living in the Cites in France are being harrassed on a daily basis by Muslim youths.

Young Arabs can go to school but choose not to, with in most cases the blessing of their parents.

Like everyone else in France to get a job you need a minimum of education, if they decide not to be educated it is not the fault of the French system.

People may disagree but that is excactly what ISLAM is about, breed, have ghettoes, blame everyone else for your misfortune and if you do net get what you wish go for the kill.

[proxy_user]

Well, in any case, although everyone is theoretically equal before the law, the ruling classes turn a blind eye to union schemes that prevent anyone other than the buddies of the existing workers from ever getting a job that is not menial.

They use similar methods themselves to prevent anyone but their children for qualifying for the professions.

Behind the facade, it is 100% cronyism. If you're a Beur, you're a nobody, and have no chance of success no matter what.

[proud_yank]

And France is a country that presumes to give lessons to the world!"

What brain-dead surrender monkey learns anything from France?

NOT ONE MORE!!!



Far too many Americans died to get Hitler out of that worthless excuse of a country. Not ONE more. Let them deal with the problems they created themselves. I hope to God that we do not send any American soldiers over to that hole to bail them out again.

They preach all this garbage non-stop about how evil we are. How bad Bush is. They stab us in the back for their vested financial interests and claim that we are the enemy. They can go pound sand. Let some UN Blue-hats bail them out.

How long will it be til this is all our fault, or the fault of our president?

F@*K the French Thats what I learned from France.

[midwestmidnight]

So, who's going to start the betting pool for how long it will be before the frogs come begging for us to bail them out again?

I'll say 16 more days!

[HostileTerritory]

Please. I've spent time in France and the one thing I've noticed is how much the native Frenchmen don't like or trust the Arabs, don't want their children mixing with them, don't want to work with them or live nearby.

You have two very different cultures brought together on the home turf on one of them. Not surprisingly, they don't get along. However one side has carried nearly all the negative effects from that conflict. It's unfortunate that the native French people and even Maghrebian Jews have been driven out of the HLMs, they have to find somewhere else to live, but better to not be able to live in a few crappy housing developments and still participate in all the other aspects of society than to have your own ghetto with no jobs or hope for the future.

[HostileTerritory]

Also, Muslims do seem to be doing much better in Britain. There is a hardcore that doesn't assimilate, turns to terrorism etc. but there are hundreds of thousands of Muslims who have assimilated pretty thoroughly in Britain.

[The Great RJ]

The lack of political representation is just the tip of the iceberg. The French have allowed virtually unlimited immigration from these former colonies and the socialized French economy cannot provide them jobs and instead allows them to live in ghetto cities on a government dole. The Islamic radicals who tell these folks that the west is destroying Islam and that better things will happen if an Islamic theocracy is establehed find very receptive audiences for their Islamo-facism.

[Kristopher]

"If you're a Beur, you're a nobody, and have no chance of success no matter what."

Many beurs in France have done well for themselves. They have integrated and resent being associated by what is called "La Racaille"..(SCUM).

The latest problems in France is due to Islamists having taken over the Cites with the help of many lefty politicians, who gave them all the benefits the social system could give them.

In France as most of EUROPE, the left is part of the ISLAMO_FACIST elite.

Unfortunately, Chirac is so corrupt by Arab money he can't stand up to the Arabs, as his dealing with Syrians,Lebanese, Saudis would be laid bare.

France needs to get rid of Chirac soon and elect a right wing party, not Jean Marie Le PEN he is too extreme but a more moderate right winger.

[Kristopher]

They created their ghettoes as I have said. The HLM you see in Paris were totally destroyed by the ARABS....
They were given decent housing but it is very difficult to keep them to a good standard when they attack people who repair the lifts,gardeners,concierges, attack the Ambulance people , the police, the fire fighters, the dustmen ect.....
For decades the Arabs have made the CITES , NO GO AREAS.

You may have lived in France...so have I for many years, i now lived in Sweden where we have the same problems with MUSLIM youths...The City of MALMO an example of Muslim intolerance towards Swedish people.

[sageb1]

"Indeed, France refuses to acknowledge the existence of any kind of minority. They're all Frenchmen, equal before the law, which seems admirable on one level, but means that France ignores the problems that Arabs have in France because they are Arabs."

There are Muslims who have come to France who have "made it." These are just kids feeling empowered by Islamic rhetoric.

[Frenetic]

"I've spent time in France and the one thing I've noticed is how much the native Frenchmen don't like or trust the Arabs, don't want their children mixing with them, don't want to work with them or live nearby."

- What’s so shocking? I wouldn't either. Muslim Arabs have snakes in their heads. Islam turns people into crazy weirdoes. Muslims don't want to assimilate. Their allegiance is only to Allah. They are taught not to take non-Muslims as friends and not be subservient to non-Muslims but to dominate them. They have this chauvinistic superiority complex that they are clean and holy and the chosen people while everyone else is second class, fodder for the sword. Their view of right and wrong has nothing to do with the golden rule or even truth but rather what Mohammed said and did, which is sad to say, not holy but evil; its moral relativism to the extreme. Muslims don’t get along with anyone, not even themselves. If you want proof, just look at the places in the world where there is civil strife, in just about every place it’s Muslims on one side and everyone else on the other. What is happening in France is the same tactic Muslim use everywhere they seek to take over…breed like crack & Viagra fed rabbits. And when their population reaches around 15-20% mostly young, stupid and disaffected, engage in civil war to topple the current regime and force Sharia and Muslim rule.

[sageb1]

Thank you, Kristopher for giving us your viewpoint.

[donkey slayer]

Isn't the French social model great!