Social, Cultural, and Economic Integration of Minorities

If the “modèle d’intégration républicaine” is no longer working to integrate immigrants, there are two options for France. First, France needs to recognize its diverse population and cater to the customs of all ethnicities equally. This would mean permitting Islamic women to wear burqas in public, approving the construction of Islamic minarets throughout the country, improving housing conditions for North African workers, allowing the immigrants political representation, and still meeting the needs of white French citizens. This system would require each ethnic group to compromise and be accommodating, but each group would also be able to maintain a sense of cultural identity. Otherwise, France needs to take a second look at the “modèle d’intégration républicaine” and format it to the twenty-first century. France would need ensure that all legal immigrants receive the same privileges as other French citizens. However, at the same time, France would have to ask immigrants to conform to French standards. In some cases, that might mean asking immigrants to adopt French customs while giving up some of their traditional practices (such as women not wearing burqas in Paris). The trade-off for giving up immigrant customs would be full acceptance into French culture. For this system to work, though, immigrants would need to be willing to accept the values of their new country, and French citizens and politicians would need to become blind to skin color.