CanadianSteve writes:
In fact, there has been very little discrimination against French Muslims. And even if there had been, many other immigrant groups have, ultimately, prospered in western democracies, including, France, despite that.
Hi, Steve.
My French friends (multigeneration "native" French), and the native French people I listen to on the radio and read on the web, all tell me that French Muslims experience tremendous discrimination, particularly in employment, and that the North African immigrants suffer the worst. My understanding is that France lacks the antidiscrimination employment laws we have in the U.S. (for what they're worth)--I can't speak for Canada.
Much of the Muslim immigrant presence in Europe began with the West's hunger for cheap labor. Now the Western capitalists save more by moving offshore to even cheaper labor, exacerbating the problem at home by eliminating jobs.
Nearly every sizeable immigrant population suffers/has suffered from discrimination in the West, esp. when ethnically identifiable.
In the earlier decades of the 20th century, Italian-Americans and Irish-Americans were so disdained that they were not considered white: "No Colored Or Irish" was a familiar sign. It took decades to improve this hateful attitude.
As Crash pointed out, poor communities will periodically erupt anywhere.
True, Muslim assimilation in the West would be difficult at the best of times; hostility and discrimination make it nearly impossible.
"It's hard to admit the truth."
-randman
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