海角大神

It鈥檚 7 p.m. on a Tuesday and the temperature is just above freezing 鈥� the perfect setting for a bowl of hot soup on the couch after a long day at work. But some 60 students have instead chosen to be here, at the聽Lyc茅e Voltaire high school, learning Arabic.

鈥淛amila 鈥� Jameeeeela,鈥� says teacher Eug茅nie Paris, moving around the classroom as her beginner students bury their heads in notebooks as they try to spell out the word for 鈥渂eautiful鈥� in Arabic script.

In a little over an hour, the students from the four levels meet in one room to share drinks and food, before switching classrooms and languages 鈥� this time learning Hebrew.

The language double bill is part of the Parler en Paix (Speak in Peace) initiative 鈥� to promote language learning as well as cultural understanding. It鈥檚 something that resonates with the diverse group of students who have registered for the year 鈥� young and old, Jewish and Muslim, Catholic and atheist.

Grassroots initiatives like Parler en Paix are working to repair relations between France鈥檚 Jewish and Muslim communities, which have been challenged by France鈥檚 debate on 濒补茂肠颈迟茅 鈥� 鈥渟ecularism鈥� 鈥� which has once again come to the fore in recent weeks. In October, a Muslim woman was asked by a politician at a regional assembly meeting to remove her veil while accompanying her child on a school outing. And in early November, Paris and Toulouse held anti-Islamophobia protests to call for an end to anti-Islamic sentiment. Meanwhile, recent studies show that anti-Semitic acts are on the rise in France.

And yet there is a sense among French people that relations between the country鈥檚 Jewish and Muslim communities are markedly more peaceful than what is portrayed in the media. Many feel that the term 濒补茂肠颈迟茅 has gained too much prominence in political debate. Efforts like Parler en Paix emphasize聽a desire within the French public for tolerance and unification; to find common ground 鈥� be it through language learning, cultural events, or trips abroad.

鈥淭here鈥檚 been a real competition between the two stakeholders [Jewish and Muslim] for their representation towards the state 鈥� to address underground issues that weren鈥檛 being talked about.鈥� says Amel Boubekeur, a visiting fellow in the Middle East and North Africa program at the European Council on Foreign Relations. 鈥淏ut if you鈥檙e talking about the average French person, within family circles, at work or school, things aren鈥檛 so bad. It鈥檚 not a problem of daily socialization.鈥�

尝补茂肠颈迟别聽and Jewish-Muslim relations

France鈥檚 Jewish and Muslim communities have a long and complicated history that can be traced back to North Africa more than a century ago. Their relationship often involved legal status 鈥� in 1870, the approximately 40,000 Jews in Algeria were granted French citizenship while their Muslim neighbors were not. Through World War I and the Algerian War, the relationship between Jews and Muslims remained complex, flip-floppin鈥媑 between cordial relations and intermittent violence.

鈥淔rench Jews and Muslims have a long history of co-existence despite tensions,鈥� says Ethan Katz, a history professor at UC Berkeley and author of 鈥淭he Burdens of Brotherhood: Jews and Muslims from North Africa to France.鈥� 鈥淗istorically, Jews and Muslims have tried at different times to negotiate their different identities 鈥� and the perception of what it means to be French, for both themselves and others, while maintaining their Jewish and Muslim identities.鈥�

Complicating matters further have been France鈥檚 laws on 濒补茂肠颈迟茅. Initially enshrined in a 1905 law to separate church and state, it has morphed through the years, influencing laws and legislation, and powering debate. Most notably, it fueled a 2004 law banning conspicuous religious symbols in the public sphere, including Jewish kippas, the Muslim veil, and Catholic crosses.

But many say France鈥檚 濒补茂肠颈迟茅 unfairly targets the country鈥檚 Muslim population. The 2004 law has been at the root of controversies involving wearing the hijab or burkini on French beaches or the full-face veil (burqa) while driving. And in late October, French senators voted to ban veiled women from accompanying their children on school field trips.

Critics have connected the bans to a climate that fosters xenophobia and anti-Semitism too. The number of anti-Semitic acts in France rose by 74% in 2018, according to police figures. And a study conducted for the book 鈥淟鈥檃n prochain 脿 J茅rusalem鈥� (鈥淣ext Year in Jerusalem鈥�) showed that the majority of French Jews who immigrated to Israel in recent years were overwhelmingly motivated by a feeling of insecurity.

鈥淲e have to get back to French history,鈥澛爏ays Ms. Boubekeur. 鈥淒oes 濒补茂肠颈迟茅 mean that the state is protecting religion or that it should be taken out of the public sphere?鈥�

Building bridges

While the political climate may increasingly pit the Jewish and Muslim communities against one another, there is a desire for healing from a large swath of society. That鈥檚 a major reason why nonprofits are working to unite Jewish and Muslim communities 鈥� and keeping politics out of it. Parler en Paix identifies itself as nonpolitical, and says that remaining neutral allows for a more diverse group of students.

鈥淲e see people from very different backgrounds that would probably never have met if there was a political angle,鈥� says Nicolas Bontemps, the president of Parler en Paix. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the opposite of what happens at more activist organizations.鈥�

French nonprofit Langage de Femmes (Language of Women) also stays away from politics, while encouraging women from different religious and cultural backgrounds to join their organization, which holds regular social gatherings, a film club, and a trip to Auschwitz.

Co-founders Samia Essabaa and Suzanne Nakache say that the initial obstacle for women joining the organization is overcoming their personal prejudices.

鈥淭he first thing I hear from some [Jewish] members is 鈥楳uslims don鈥檛 like us,鈥� said Ms. Nakache,聽who grew up in a Jewish community in Algeria, during a November meeting of Anglophone journalists in Paris. 鈥淭hen on the other side, there will be women who are in Holocaust denial who go to Auschwitz with us and leave completely changed.鈥�

Ms. Essabaa, who is also a high school teacher, says that working with women is a particularly powerful way of reaching more people. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not enough to work with young people,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou need to work with the mothers so that they can transmit their knowledge to their children.鈥�

鈥淎 respect for others鈥�

Both Parler en Paix and Langage de Femmes put an importance on social connection. At Langage de Femmes, members regularly attend an open forum where they can meet one another and ask questions about other religions or cultures in a nonjudgmental setting.

And at Parler en Paix, the dinner break midway through the Arab-Hebrew classes is a chance for students to exchange with open, like-minded people. They argue that the atmosphere here is a microcosm of what they experience in their daily lives and not what is presented in the media.

鈥淚 grew up with many Jewish people, in an environment of tolerance,鈥� says Sonia I., who is Muslim, and did not want to give her last name. 鈥淏ut all we hear these days about [Jewish-Muslim relations] are negative things.鈥�

鈥淚 have a very diverse friend group,鈥� says Aurelien Bonneil, a university student who describes himself as nonreligious. He says the classes have helped him gain a better understanding of both Jewish and Muslim cultures. 鈥淚 wish we could move on from talking about religion and how no one gets along.鈥�

For some, a more universal understanding of 濒补茂肠颈迟茅 could repair relations. Others say a redefinition of the word is in order. Unlike in the U.S., which allows and even encourages individual expression, some say that the French version of secularism calls for people to hide their religion, effectively effacing their identity and fostering聽resentment.

鈥淒oes it really shock people to see a woman wearing a headscarf, or a nun wearing a cross?鈥� asks Abderrahmane Jebbari, who teaches Arabic for Parler en Paix. 鈥淲e say that France is united by universal values 鈥� but it鈥檚 just as bad to force someone to wear something as it is to force them to take it off. That鈥檚 not what 濒补茂肠颈迟茅 should be. It should be a respect for others.鈥�

Editor's note: The original story has misnamed the school where Parler en Paix is holding its sessions.