Governing Islam in French cities: defining ‘acceptable’ public religiosity through municipal consultative bodies

Julia Martínez-Ariño

doi:10.1080/09637494.2019.1652019

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn recent years, European states have institutionalised relations with Islamic groups in the form of national Islam councils. Similarly, municipalities have set up more or less comparable bodies to address issues related to urban religious diversity. However, rather than being restricted to Muslim representatives, municipal consultative bodies usually incorporate a variety of religious actors. This contribution analyses three such bodies in the French cities of Rennes, Bordeaux, and Toulouse. Adopting a governance perspective and drawing on qualitative fieldwork, I argue that by providing concrete advice on how to address religious issues, these bodies define what are considered ‘acceptable’ and ‘unacceptable’ public religious expressions, ultimately influencing normative ideas about laïcité. Moreover, I argue that the history of relationships between religious and municipal authorities and the political culture of the cities, among other factors, shape these local processes, thereby emphasising the distinct role of cities and urban actors in governing religion.

Highlights

Since the early 2000s, in an attempt to assert their national sovereignty, many European democracies have set up representation bodies to nationalise Islam and make it fit into their institutional frameworks of church-state relations
In this article I have analysed the role of cities in the governance of Islam and of religion more broadly
Focusing on three municipal consultative bodies set up to address issues of religious diversity, the article has shown that policies on religion, even in centralised countries like France, are not the exclusive monopoly of the central state

Summary

Introduction

Since the early 2000s, in an attempt to assert their national sovereignty, many European democracies have set up representation bodies to nationalise Islam and make it fit into their institutional frameworks of church-state relations. The impact of the terrorist attack in Toulouse is reflected in the emphasis put on measures aiming to reinforce knowledge of and commitment to so-called republican values, and the capacity of different groups to live together peacefully This shows that the meanings given to the notion of laïcité, as this principle is put into practice on the ground by various actors, are varied, which challenges homogenising understandings of state secularism in France. The more personalistic governing style of the mayor in Bordeaux, linked to a history of strong mayors, is reflected in the fact that Bordeaux Sharing was not set up to inform municipal policies on religious matters and it does not include representatives of secular civil society associations Rather it serves as a stage on which a symbolic representation of mutual understanding between religions, orchestrated by the central figure of the mayor, is performed. In the case of Toulouse the terrorist attack geared measures towards ‘educating’ the public, in particular the youth, in topics related to republican values and principles and the city’s history of migration, as a way to fight the so-called ‘identity closure’ of certain groups

Conclusion

Findings

Notes on contributor