France Failing to Tackle Riots Causes: Suburbanites

"It seems nothing has changed in our lives,"23 -year-old Abdul Ra'ouf, a resident of the northern Paris district of Saint Denis, told IslamOnline.net on Sunday, March12 .

Abdul Ra'ouf, who was born to Algerian parents, has failed to find work since his graduation four years ago.

France's high-immigration suburbs had been hit by two weeks of rioting last October.

The accidental electrocution of two youths fleeing police in Clichy-sous-Bois outside Paris ignited pent up frustrations among young men, many of North African origin, at racism, unemployment, marginalization and mistreatment by police.

More than1 , 500people -- mainly Arab and black youngsters -- have been detained.

Abdul Ra'ouf said many of his friends remain behind bars.

Frustration

Similar feelings of frustration were also visible among other suburbanites.

"We are certain that there is no place for us here like the others," 19 -year-old Amina said while standing with a group of friends of African and Arab origins waiting for the train.

One of her friends nodded in agreement.

"We don't see any hope that we will move to a better place than Saint Denis; the ghetto where we were born and set to die."

Nearly 40 per cent of young men in the northern Paris suburb of Saint Denis, the scene of the deadly riots, are unemployed.

Years of government negligence and marginalization have turned the district into a hotbed for unemployment and aberration.

Better known among the French as “93,” Saint Denis has a Muslim population of500 , 000out of1 , 200million people, making it the largest Muslim residential area in the country.

Muslims make up some five million of France’s 60 million people, the biggest Muslim minority in Europe.

Risks

The continued feelings of frustration in the district have sparked warnings of an outbreak of violent riots.

"This situation risks to renew riots," said Mohamed Hniche, a member of the Equal Opportunities committee, which was set up by the government after the riots.

He complained of the committee's slow pace in dealing with roots causes of the riots.

"Representatives of the government usual miss out on the committee's meetings."

Hniche, however, hailed a new labor law proposed by the committee to conceal the name of the job applicant.

"Many surveys showed that the names of people born to immigrants usually obstruct their employment opportunities."

A Sorbonne research released last year by the French Observatory Against Racism found that Arab names and dark complexion represent an obstacle to jobseekers.

The “Discrimination at Workplace” research said that the organization sent 325 CVs of competitive applicants, who only differ in names and origin, to find later that the opportunity for North African applicants to get a job is five times less than natives.

The new labor law, known as the First Employment Contract (CPE), introduces short contracts, making it easier to hire and fire, thus encouraging employers to take on more staff.

The strategy, voted by the National Assembly on March8 , aims to make the labor market more flexible with a two-year contact for under26 year-olds which employers can break at any time without explanation.

The legislation sparked protests from unions and students who see it a threat to job security by making it easier to sack young people.

Fading Attention

Issa Nahari, a rights activist, also lashed out at the government for failure to tackle root causes of riots.

"The government has totally forgotten the issue of high-immigration suburbs," he told IOL.

He said that the government attention has faded on problems of the high-immigration suburbs.

Nahari blamed rights groups in the suburbs for the fading government attention.

"There were only few initiatives since then except of bids to draw young people to register in the election lists."

However, Hassan Farsadou member of the Union of French Islamic Organizations (UOIF), said there were certain improvements in the district since the riots.

"Saint Denis has witnessed many efforts to integrate its residents into the social and political life."

He also hailed the new labor legislation as a step in the right direction.

"It is a positive gesture as it is mainly directed to deal with residents of the high-immigration suburbs."

http://islamonline.net/English/News/2006-03/12/article02.shtml