Secularism is Fueling Radicalization in France

While the radicalization of Muslim citizens has become a moral panic in France, a crucially overlooked issue is the role that laïcité plays in this radicalization.

by Kristen Canavan

Following the Charlie Hebdo and Bataclan attacks in 2015, the radicalization of French Muslim citizens became the new moral panic in France. Many commentators and politicians pointed to factors like societal discrimination, disaffection, and a lack of opportunities, to explain why so many French citizens chose an extremist path, including joining ISIS. Some pointed to the role the French prison system played, while others argued that France’s failure to assimilate citizens of North African origin was to blame.

While living amidst institutionalized racism in ghettoized neighborhoods may indeed help radicalize some French citizens, there is another crucial factor that is frequently—and troublingly—overlooked: French secularism, or laïcité.