A Roundtable. France against “Separatism” and “Parallel Societies”: A New Policy towards the Muslims, Its Possible Consequences, and Alternatives

Abstract

The roundtable addressed the foreseeable consequences of, and possible alternatives to, the policy towards Muslim communities in France enunciated in a number of documents, including the new legislation that envisages “strengthening republican principles." The focus of the roundtable was on the following issues: 1) Does the new legislation correctly identify “Islamic separatism” as the main cause of the problems with the integration of migrants in France?; 2) What can be consequences of the practical implementation of the new legislation?; 3) Is there an alternative to the proposed policy and what measures could be more effective? The roundtable participants discussed different approaches referring to the results of their own observations and research. French policy was viewed from the pan-European perspective as well as in terms of its correlation with the Russian experience.