Newlyweds and Other Young French Muslims Traveling to Mecca: Desires, Motivations and Senses of Belonging

Abstract

While in the past the hajj was usually performed at an advanced age, today more and more young adult Muslims from France perform the pilgrimage. In an aim to better understand this trend in hajj practice, this chapter explores shifting religiosities, the emergence of a middle class, changes in women’s social status, and experiences of discrimination as possible factors that that motivate young French Muslims to perform the pilgrimage. Furthermore, this chapter examines why particularly young married couples choose to visit Mecca so regularly. It is demonstrated that beyond commentary on changing religious norms, the ‘belongings’ of young French Muslims vis-à-vis their country of origin are also important to consider. While young pilgrims often disapprove of the ‘traditional’ religious practices that their parents inherited from the ‘bled’ (country of origin), the ‘bled’ still remains central in the construction of their own ‘identities’. By taking the hajj and the ʿumra as research objects, this chapter sketches the new trends in the religious and social practices of young French Muslims, and discusses how the pilgrimage can contribute to the empowerment of pilgrims.