20150117 ECN APSI 022 - The...
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22 Briefing Terror and Islam The Economist January 17th 2015 1 2 Anti-Semitism in France J’accuse, eventually I N EARLYDecember2014 three armed men broke into a flat in Créteil, south- east ofParis, tied up a young woman and herboyfriend, raped the woman, and robbed them both. “You Jews, you have money,” they told the couple. A few days later, Bernard Cazeneuve, the interior minister, along with a thousand or so otherpeople marched against anti-Sem- itism; President François Hollande called the attack“intolerable”. But the event passed offto wider indifference. Long before the recent supermarket attack, in which four Jewish men were killed, France’s Jews have been con- cerned at what some see as the banal- isation ofanti-Semitism. Fatalities grab headlines, as did the kidnapping, torture and murder ofIlan Halimi near Paris in 2006, or the shooting in 2012 ofseven people, including three Jewish children and a rabbi, at a Jewish school in Tou- louse. Low-level anti-Semitism does not. A vast French majority (89%) hold “favourable” views about Jews, accord- ing to a Pew Global Attitudes poll last year. Yet anti-Semitic acts nearly doubled in France in the first seven months of 2014, compared with the previous year. Two events prompted an uptick. One was a planned tour a year ago by Dieudonné M’bala M’bala, a stand-up comedian, whose hallmarkis the inverted Nazi salute he called the quenelle. The govern- ment banned the performances on the ground ofpublic security. The other surge followed a pro-Gaza rally last July that turned into a violent riot; cries of “Death to Jews” were reported. Last week’s terror attacks have prompted much introspection. Already, French Jews made up the single biggest contingent ofemigrants to Israel in 2014, according to the Jewish Agency for Israel: 7,000 moved there, more than double the figure in 2013. In Paris on the eve ofthe march, Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said that“all the Jews who would like to immigrate will be warmlywelcomed with open arms.” The government has now stepped up security outside synagogues and Jewish schools, as well as mosques. On January 14th Mr M’bala M’bala was arrested for condoning terrorism after he posted a message on Facebooksaying “Je me sens Charlie Coulibaly” (“I feel like [the su- permarketkiller]”). In a speech the previ- ous day Manuel Valls, the prime minister, condemned anti-Semitism, declaring that, without its Jews, “France would no longer be France”. Some Jewish leaders caution that leaving France would be ceding to terror. And many, including Mr Netanyahu, have acknowledged that on January 9th when a number ofJewish shoppers found refuge from Mr Coulibaly in a freezer, the man who led them to safety was a young Muslim. PARIS Belated attention forthe dangers faced byFrench Jews in 2014. Mr Nemmouche grew up in foster homes, like Chérif and Saïd Kouachi, the orphaned brothers who murdered 12 peo- ple at Charlie Hebdo. Amédy Coulibaly, who last week killed Ms Jean-Philippe, the policewoman, as well as the Jewish shop- pers, was raised on one of the Paris ban- lieue’s most notorious estates. Like Mr Me- rah he served time for robbery before becomingdrawn to radical Islam. Yet, as Malek Boutih, a Socialist deputy, put it this week: “It’s not just about poverty; social questions do not explain murder.” Nobody knows what exactly pushes the aggrieved towards terror, or the newly de- voted Muslim to jihad. Traditional net- works have worked through hardline mosques and Islamic bookstores to recruit radicalsand convertsin the banlieues. Such links helped Saïd Kouachi, who was on the Americans’ no-fly list, to travel for training byal-Qaeda in Yemen. More recent “self-service” channels have also drawn some from the middle class to fight for IS. Recruited via the inter- net, Facebook and Twitter, aided by low- cost flights via Turkey, more than 1,200 are thought to have headed off to the war. Dounia Bouzar, who runs an early-warn- ingcentre forparents, says that the number of young girls, converts and those who know little about Islam is striking. Schools forcriminality If there is a common thread among those who become jihadists, it seems to be the quest to transform small, angry lives into powerful ones. But there are other factors, too. Perhaps the most toxic is prison. Ché- rifKouachi seems to have been radicalised during his time at Fleury-Mérogis prison south ofParis in 2005-06. A one-time pizza- delivery driver, he was jailed in a case in- volving the organisation of jihadists to fight Americans in Iraq. But prison hard- ened him further, particularly through links he made to Djamel Beghal, a jihadist convicted for attempting to bomb the American embassy in Paris in 2001. Mr Beghal connects Mr Kouachi to a third in- mate, MrCoulibaly, who boasted in a clan- destine video filmed in 2007 that prison is “the best school for criminality”. For his part, Merah, in Toulouse, spoke of experi- encing“divine inspiration” behind bars. Although the French do not collect eth- nic statistics, some 60% of France’s prison population of68,000 is Muslim, according to a parliamentary report last year. The proportion is higher in big prisons near cit- ies such as Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Stras- bourg. Once inside, the message ofmoder- ate Islam dims. The report found only 178 Muslim chaplains working in prisons, next to almost 700 Catholic chaplains. “Many of these criminals arrive with little reli- gious culture,” says Farhad Khosrokhavar, a sociologist. “But the less you know about Islam, the more you are likely to be drawn to radicalised religion.” After prison comes politics. Chérif Kouachi’s rage was first aimed against America, at a time when France vigorously opposed the invasion of Iraq. Since then France itself has attracted more Islamist fury. The country has successfully pushed backa jihadist incursion into Mali, and car- ried out air strikes on IS targets in Iraq. Moreover, France is unapologetic about its secular rules, including its 2004 ban on wearing Muslim headscarves or other reli- gious symbols in public institutions, as well as its criminalisation of hate speech and anti-Semitism. That this does not cov- er blasphemy, thanks to France’s history of bloody anticlerical struggle which led to the separation ofreligion and state in 1905, is a point of anger among some Muslims. Some Muslim schoolchildren reportedly refused to observe the minute’s silence for the terror victims last week. Such points of controversy are readily exploited. The objective of IS, says Gilles Kepel ofSciences-Po university, “is to iden- tify fractures within European society, and Mais jamais oublié
Transcript of 20150117 ECN APSI 022 - The...
22 Briefing Terror and Islam The Economist January 17th 2015
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Anti-Semitism in France
J’accuse, eventually
IN EARLYDecember 2014 three armedmen broke into a flat in Créteil, south-
east ofParis, tied up a young woman andher boyfriend, raped the woman, androbbed them both. “You Jews, you havemoney,” they told the couple. A few dayslater, Bernard Cazeneuve, the interiorminister, along with a thousand or soother people marched against anti-Sem-itism; President François Hollande calledthe attack“intolerable”. But the eventpassed offto wider indifference.
Long before the recent supermarketattack, in which four Jewish men werekilled, France’s Jews have been con-cerned at what some see as the banal-isation ofanti-Semitism. Fatalities grabheadlines, as did the kidnapping, tortureand murder of Ilan Halimi near Paris in2006, or the shooting in 2012 ofsevenpeople, including three Jewish childrenand a rabbi, at a Jewish school in Tou-louse. Low-level anti-Semitism does not.
A vast French majority (89%) hold“favourable” views about Jews, accord-ing to a Pew Global Attitudes poll lastyear. Yet anti-Semitic acts nearly doubledin France in the first seven months of2014, compared with the previous year.Two events prompted an uptick. One wasa planned tour a year ago by DieudonnéM’bala M’bala, a stand-up comedian,whose hallmark is the inverted Nazisalute he called the quenelle. The govern-ment banned the performances on the
ground ofpublic security. The other surgefollowed a pro-Gaza rally last July thatturned into a violent riot; cries of “Deathto Jews” were reported.
Last week’s terror attacks haveprompted much introspection. Already,French Jews made up the single biggestcontingent ofemigrants to Israel in 2014,according to the Jewish Agency for Israel:7,000 moved there, more than double thefigure in 2013. In Paris on the eve of themarch, Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeliprime minister, said that “all the Jewswho would like to immigrate will bewarmly welcomed with open arms.”
The government has now stepped upsecurity outside synagogues and Jewishschools, as well as mosques. On January14th Mr M’bala M’bala was arrested forcondoning terrorism after he posted amessage on Facebooksaying “Je me sensCharlie Coulibaly” (“I feel like [the su-permarket killer]”). In a speech the previ-ous day Manuel Valls, the prime minister,condemned anti-Semitism, declaringthat, without its Jews, “France would nolonger be France”.
Some Jewish leaders caution thatleaving France would be ceding to terror.And many, including Mr Netanyahu,have acknowledged that on January 9thwhen a number of Jewish shoppersfound refuge from Mr Coulibaly in afreezer, the man who led them to safetywas a young Muslim.
PARIS
Belated attention for the dangers faced by French Jews
in 2014. Mr Nemmouche grew up in fosterhomes, like Chérif and Saïd Kouachi, theorphaned brothers who murdered 12 peo-ple at Charlie Hebdo. Amédy Coulibaly,who last week killed Ms Jean-Philippe, thepolicewoman, as well as the Jewish shop-pers, was raised on one of the Paris ban-lieue’s most notorious estates. Like Mr Me-rah he served time for robbery beforebecoming drawn to radical Islam.
Yet, as Malek Boutih, a Socialist deputy,put it thisweek: “It’snot justaboutpoverty;social questions do not explain murder.”Nobody knows what exactly pushes theaggrieved towards terror, or the newly de-voted Muslim to jihad. Traditional net-works have worked through hardlinemosques and Islamic bookstores to recruitradicalsand converts in the banlieues. Suchlinks helped Saïd Kouachi, who was on theAmericans’ no-fly list, to travel for trainingby al-Qaeda in Yemen.
More recent “self-service” channelshave also drawn some from the middleclass to fight for IS. Recruited via the inter-
net, Facebook and Twitter, aided by low-cost flights via Turkey, more than 1,200 arethought to have headed off to the war.Dounia Bouzar, who runs an early-warn-ingcentre forparents, says that the numberof young girls, converts and those whoknow little about Islam is striking.
Schools forcriminalityIf there is a common thread among thosewho become jihadists, it seems to be thequest to transform small, angry lives intopowerful ones. But there are other factors,too. Perhaps the most toxic is prison. Ché-rifKouachi seems to have been radicalisedduring his time at Fleury-Mérogis prisonsouth ofParis in 2005-06. Aone-time pizza-delivery driver, he was jailed in a case in-volving the organisation of jihadists tofight Americans in Iraq. But prison hard-ened him further, particularly throughlinks he made to Djamel Beghal, a jihadistconvicted for attempting to bomb theAmerican embassy in Paris in 2001. MrBeghal connects Mr Kouachi to a third in-
mate, Mr Coulibaly, who boasted in a clan-destine video filmed in 2007 that prison is“the best school for criminality”. For hispart, Merah, in Toulouse, spoke of experi-encing “divine inspiration” behind bars.
Although the French do not collect eth-nic statistics, some 60% of France’s prisonpopulation of 68,000 is Muslim, accordingto a parliamentary report last year. Theproportion is higher in big prisons near cit-ies such as Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Stras-bourg. Once inside, the message of moder-ate Islam dims. The report found only 178Muslim chaplains working in prisons, nextto almost 700 Catholic chaplains. “Manyof these criminals arrive with little reli-gious culture,” says Farhad Khosrokhavar,a sociologist. “But the less you know aboutIslam, the more you are likely to be drawnto radicalised religion.”
After prison comes politics. ChérifKouachi’s rage was first aimed againstAmerica, at a time when France vigorouslyopposed the invasion of Iraq. Since thenFrance itself has attracted more Islamistfury. The country has successfully pushedbacka jihadist incursion into Mali, and car-ried out air strikes on IS targets in Iraq.
Moreover, France is unapologetic aboutits secular rules, including its 2004 ban onwearing Muslim headscarves or other reli-gious symbols in public institutions, aswell as its criminalisation of hate speechand anti-Semitism. That this does not cov-er blasphemy, thanks to France’s history ofbloody anticlerical struggle which led tothe separation of religion and state in 1905,is a point of anger among some Muslims.Some Muslim schoolchildren reportedlyrefused to observe the minute’s silence forthe terror victims last week.
Such points of controversy are readilyexploited. The objective of IS, says GillesKepel of Sciences-Po university, “is to iden-tify fractures within European society, and
Mais jamais oublié
Issue Date: 17-01-2015 Zone: APSI Desk: BriefingA Output on: 15-01-2015----10:34 Page: FB2 Revision: 0
