ABSTRACT
A prominent nervous area of government in France is Islamophobia. French Muslims face numerous instances of bias and prejudice, both in society writ large and in state institutions. While the French government has adopted numerous tactics to address issues related to bias—especially concerning racism and anti-Semitism—it has comparatively addressed Islamophobia less. However, intersectoral dialogues between the government and Muslim community organizations show potential in addressing Islamophobia by raising awareness of the issues French Muslims face and in naming Islamophobia as an issue.
In the consciousness of many, “France” and “Islamophobia” can go hand in hand. The complicity of the state in perpetuating and exacerbating these inequities is well documented in that it is in public institutions where many acts of Islamophobia take place, often in the name of maintaining secularism (laïcité). Problems of Islamophobia have only heightened in the wake of several deadly terrorist attacks from 2015 onward (Najib & Hopkins, 2018).
