I snagged a table at the Boulangerie du Theatre in Sete, a small French town on the Mediterranean.  As I waited for my husband, two Muslim women dressed in silky, black chadors, sat next to me with three small children. 

“Bon jour,” one of the women said, offering me a gentle smile.  I returned her greeting and smiled at the little ones.  I noticed five glasses of orange juice and three plain croissants, for sharing, on her tray.  Tony and I sat reading, sharing a pain aux raisin while sipping our coffee and tea.  I overheard the women speaking what sounded like perfectly accented French.  This has been my experience of many Muslim women I’ve observed here in France:  they are linguistically integrated, yet sartorially distinct.

It’s been two weeks since Hamas’ heinous attack on Israel.  Tension hangs in the air.  France’s President Emmanuel Macron called up 7,000 soldiers to provide added security across the country.  There’s a sense of Muslims and non-Muslims tiptoeing around each other.  I can’t quite describe the feeling.  How does one be supportive of the the innocents—on both sides—amid perennial hurt in a region I understand so little about? 

President Macron’s government, sadly, reported a dramatic uptick in antisemitic acts since Hamas’ attack and Israel’s retaliatory bombing of Gaza.  I’ve read about menacing graffiti and child-on-child verbal and, in a least one case, physical aggression in French schools.  Ten thousand French police are actively guarding Jewish sites across the country, including schools and synagogues. 

Six days after the Hamas attack, Dominique Bernard, a literature teacher, husband, and father of three daughters, was stabbed in the parking lot of his school in Arras, in northern France.  The alleged perpetrator, a former student of the school, was a Muslim immigrant from the Russian region of Inushetia.  Banners were hung on the Montpellier Opera House with Bernard’s image  and that of Samuel Paty, another teacher who was murdered in October of 2020 by a Chechen Muslim refugee. The banners read:  Hommage aux victims du fanatisme islamiste.  Montpellier soutient le professeurs de la Republique.  Translation:  Tribute to the victims of Islamist fanaticism.  Montpellier supports the teachers of the Republic.

President Macron forbade pro-Palestinian protests while allowing pro-Israel demonstrations.  Palestinian supporters defied the ban when several thousand protesters gathered in Paris on Sunday, October 15^th ; they were dispersed by police with tear gas.  There have been smaller Palestinian protests here in Montpellier where we are staying.  A court challenge reversed the ban and a large pro-Palestinian protest occurred in Paris on October 19^th, followed by smaller protests on October 21^st in Montpellier, Nimes and other French cities.

Reminders of France’s all-to-frequent terrorist attacks are built into the physical infrastructure of French cities.  Montpellier’s main pedestrian square, Place de la Comedie, is surrounded by painted K-rails to prevent vehicular assaults.  Sidewalks and entries to plazas are embedded with steel posts; granite stanchions; and, with an eye towards a bit of whimsy, painted concrete “balls.”  If you look closely, you see cut marks from when these protective measures were added to original design features.  Squads of heavily armed soldiers patrol parks, sidewalks, and shopping areas with their assault rifles at the ready.  France’s experiences of terrorism, including the 2015 Bataclan attack in Paris, 2016 truck ramming at a Bastille Day celebration in Nice, and 2018 mass shooting at the Strasbourg Christmas Fair are woven into the collective psyche of the French people.  And, lest you forget while sipping a café au lait at an outdoor café,  Vigipirate—an anti-terrorism security force vehicle may pass by, at a slow, watchful pace.

France is home to Europe’s largest Muslim population; Muslims represent approximately four percent of the population.  Women wearing hijabs and chadors are a common sight. France is also home to Europe’s largest Jewish population although their representation is much smaller, estimated at 0.67 percent of the population.  Preserving one’s culture while integrating into broader society, the latter being key to garnering social capital for oneself and one’s children, presents challenges.  Sadly, in France, all too often we learn of disaffected, disenfranchised Muslim youths who, feeling they have nothing to lose, are at risk of becoming radicalized.

Hamas’ brutal attack on Israeli citizens demands our attention and condemnation.  Hamas militants need to be brought to justice.  Innocent Palestinian civilians also deserve peace and security.  I remember travelling to New Zealand when President George W. Bush occupied the White House and engaged in military actions contrary to my political beliefs.  Some Kiwis were critical, assuming I supported the President when I did not.  I think of Jews who do NOT support Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Benjamin Netanyahu’s, right-wing, hawkish ways.  I think of Palestinians who do NOT support Hamas and who do NOT support the violence aimed at Israel. I think of Jews and Palestinians who simply want to live their lives in peace.  I worry about the death and destruction on all sides. 

I wonder how much of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is about limited resources…limited water, limited land, limited agency.  It is so much easier to live peacefully when there is abundance.  Let us hope peaceful solutions can be found.

I invite you to follow my blog at https://presenttime.blog.

Sources:  https://www.jpr.org.uk/countries/how-many-jews-in-france, https://www.statista.com/statistics/868409/muslim-populations-in-european-countries/#:~:text=Approximately%205.72%20million%20Muslims%20were,million%20and%204.13%20million%20respectively.

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2023/10/14/french-teacher-killed-in-arras-reignites-trauma-left-by-2020-murder_6174079_7.html