The e book “La France, tu l’aimes mais tu la quittes” by Olivier Esteves, Alice Picard, and Julien Talpin explores the diaspora of French Muslims who select to settle overseas. In an interview, Olivier Esteves, a specialist in English cultures and societies on the College of Lille, discusses the principle findings of their analysis. They estimate that there are tens of 1000’s of French Muslims residing overseas, though a precise quantity is troublesome to find out as a result of lack of spiritual statistics in France and the truth that many French residents residing overseas don’t register with consulates. The main focus of their examine was not a lot on what number of French Muslims are leaving, however somewhat on why they’re selecting to take action.
One of many main causes cited by French Muslims for leaving France is to flee the “atmospheric Islamophobia” that has turn out to be more and more pervasive in French society. This Islamophobia has been exacerbated by detrimental media portrayal and political discourse following the 2015 terrorist assaults. Discrimination, notably within the office, additionally performs a job within the resolution to go away. Sure teams throughout the Muslim neighborhood, corresponding to ladies who put on the veil and converts who’ve skilled newfound discrimination in maturity, are particularly susceptible to stigmatization and thus extra prone to search alternatives overseas. Whereas the will to flee Islamophobia is a serious motivator for leaving, there are sometimes different supplementary causes as nicely, corresponding to looking for spiritual success in a Muslim-majority nation, studying English, or pursuing new profession alternatives.
The choice to go away France will not be at all times pushed by a single issue, and people might have a mixture of causes for relocating. Along with escaping discrimination and looking for new alternatives, some French Muslims additionally select to settle overseas out of a way of journey or to enhance their English language abilities. The researchers observe that there’s a number of motivations amongst those that determine to maneuver, with some prioritizing spiritual issues, whereas others are extra targeted on private or skilled growth. General, the choice to to migrate is a fancy one that’s formed by a mixture of things, together with private experiences of discrimination, societal attitudes in the direction of Islam, and particular person aspirations for the longer term.
The examine sheds mild on the experiences of French Muslims who’ve chosen to go away their dwelling nation and settle overseas. By inspecting the elements that affect their resolution to to migrate, the researchers present helpful insights into the challenges confronted by this diaspora neighborhood. In doing so, they contribute to a greater understanding of the influence of Islamophobia and discrimination on the lives of French Muslims, in addition to the various motivations that drive people to hunt new alternatives past France. In the end, the e book provides a nuanced portrayal of the advanced causes behind the choice to go away, highlighting the significance of exploring particular person experiences and motivations throughout the broader context of migration and societal change.