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France Canât Survive with Separatist Minority
pdf file, page 16For more than two weeks, France has faced rioting in the downtrodden suburbs of Paris. Disgruntled youth took to the streets and set fire to cars and buildings, vandalized public transportation vehicles, assaulted police officers and firemen â even firebombed a subway. While it appears that the worst of the violence has dissipated, the problems that led to this eruption still remain. Many have chalked up the rebellion to a failure on the part of the French government to provide enough jobs for these youths (who are mostly the children of North African Muslim immigrants). Unemployment is rampant in this demographic (reaching as high as 60 percent in some regions), but the idea that this civil unrest is the result of an economic failure on behalf of the French government doesnât see the full picture. More accurately, this is the result of an economic failure coupled with a social and cultural failure on behalf of the French government as well as French society. Despite the massive influx of immigrants to the country, the French government has made no effort to assimilate or integrate these immigrants into society. To the contrary: There have been several agreements between European governments and the Arab League guaranteeing that Muslim immigrants to Europe would be in no way compelled to assimilate into the society of their new homes. As Abraham Lincoln once said: âA house divided against itself cannot stand.â France cannot survive with a separatist minority within itself, especially when the birth rate of that minority surpasses that of the native French. With the French economy stagnant and unemployment already above 10 percent, the French government is not in a position to promise jobs to native citizens with college degrees, let alone the children of immigrants with less education. The government should focus on assimilating and integrating those minorities who wish to do so, while expelling those who do not. The cause of these riots goes far beyond economics, and the sooner the French government admits that, the sooner â and more easily â the situation will be dealt with. Thereâs no simple, pleasant solution to this situation, but the alternative is much worse. Posted by: Bobby 2005-11-14 |
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