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Interesting article - particularly given that Jews/Muslims/Christians/Secular are closely intertwined in French society and have been for a long time and I admire the French president for making sure this diversity is preserved and all French citizens are protected from the effects of hatred and terrorism. I also didn't realize that France was home to such a large community of Algerian Jews and Muslims.
For Many French Jews Anti-Semitism Has A Clear Source Parallels NPR
"Making aliyah," or returning to Israel, is usually a cause for celebration among Jews. But recently fear has pushed many Jews to leave France – a record 7,000 departed last year.
And that was before the recent Paris attacks that included the killing of four Jews at a kosher grocery store.
Jean Marc Illouz, a former senior correspondent for French television, who is also Jewish, says he's been pushing back against what he calls ridiculous comments on the Internet about anti-Semitism in France. He says Americans seem to think it's a resurgence of Nazism.
"You see people are thinking of anti-Semitism in terms of World War II and coming from the French," says Illouz. "It has nothing to do with the French. It has nothing to do with the mainstream Muslim French thinking. It has to do with imported terrorism."
Illouz believes today's anti-Semitism stems from radical Islam brought to France by imams and jihadists espousing a hardline doctrine from places like Saudi Arabia.
He says the vast majority of French Muslims want to be integrate into French society, and many are. But, he says the radicals' message is corrupting a small, angry minority.
"You have a number of poor young people who have a problem much bigger than money," he says. "It's a problem of identity. Because they're neither Algerian, nor do they feel they are full fledged Frenchmen. So in that gap, the jihadis found the way to put their lever."
Illouz, whose family comes from Algeria, says Jewish families like his lived there peacefully with Muslims for centuries. His family came to France in the late 1950s, among the nearly 1 million Europeans who fled the violence of the Algerian war of independence.
Today, these Sephardic Jews from Algeria and other North African countries, make up 70 percent of the Jewish population in France.
Remainder of article at link.
For Many French Jews Anti-Semitism Has A Clear Source Parallels NPR
"Making aliyah," or returning to Israel, is usually a cause for celebration among Jews. But recently fear has pushed many Jews to leave France – a record 7,000 departed last year.
And that was before the recent Paris attacks that included the killing of four Jews at a kosher grocery store.
Jean Marc Illouz, a former senior correspondent for French television, who is also Jewish, says he's been pushing back against what he calls ridiculous comments on the Internet about anti-Semitism in France. He says Americans seem to think it's a resurgence of Nazism.
"You see people are thinking of anti-Semitism in terms of World War II and coming from the French," says Illouz. "It has nothing to do with the French. It has nothing to do with the mainstream Muslim French thinking. It has to do with imported terrorism."
Illouz believes today's anti-Semitism stems from radical Islam brought to France by imams and jihadists espousing a hardline doctrine from places like Saudi Arabia.
He says the vast majority of French Muslims want to be integrate into French society, and many are. But, he says the radicals' message is corrupting a small, angry minority.
"You have a number of poor young people who have a problem much bigger than money," he says. "It's a problem of identity. Because they're neither Algerian, nor do they feel they are full fledged Frenchmen. So in that gap, the jihadis found the way to put their lever."
Illouz, whose family comes from Algeria, says Jewish families like his lived there peacefully with Muslims for centuries. His family came to France in the late 1950s, among the nearly 1 million Europeans who fled the violence of the Algerian war of independence.
Today, these Sephardic Jews from Algeria and other North African countries, make up 70 percent of the Jewish population in France.
Remainder of article at link.
