By
Hadi Yahmid, IOL Correspondent
PARIS,
May 9, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – The unprecedented turnout of second
and third generation French Muslims has given this year's Paris-le-Bourget
conference a new look.
Over
the past four days, they came in droves to the annual gala, going
through a miscellany of books and items on display and attending
brainstorming seminars on pressing issues like integration, patriotism
and secularism.
Young
women with their unmistakable hijabs, some in three colors of the
French flags, and enthusiastic young men engaged in lively open-day
activities - interrupted only for prayers - demonstrated the balance
they are striking between life and religion.
The
four-day Bourget conference, the biggest Muslim convention in Europe,
was opened on Friday, May 5.
Last
year, more than 150,000 Muslims from across Europe attended the
conference, up from the previous year's 120,000.
Activism
Many
high school graduates were grateful to the detailed presentation of
the Muslim Students in France on colleges and universities that suit
them best.
The
pavilion of the French Muslim Youths (JMF) attracted many youths, all
in their 20s, thanks partly to the presence of Hassan Aqonsi, an
emblematic suburbanite with his famous "where there's a will,
there's a way" mantra.
They
listened attentively to Aqonsi encouraging them to prove their mettle
as being part and parcel of society.
"If
you remain motionless, beware that others are busy moving ahead,"
he advised young French Muslims, saying the Bourget was an ample
opportunity to launch initiatives.
The
number of Muslims in France exceeds six millions, representing 10% of
the population, the largest Muslim minority in Europe.
Rallying
Call
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Youths listen attentively to charismatic Aqonsi.
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JMF
head Abdel Wahab Beqly said his group has made impressive
strides in helping Muslim youths reconcile their faith with secular
France.
"Integration
has been a rallying call over the past ten years," he told
IslamOnline.net.
Established
in 1993, the JMF currently has 15 chapters nationwide in addition to
eight others under construction.
Displaying
sportswear produced by his organization and carrying its acronym,
Beqly said they have been instilling a sense of patriotism in young
Muslims.
"We
tell them they should be proud of their fathers who co-laid the
cornerstone of this country and made great sacrifices," he added.
The
Muslim activist also noted that they have played a pivotal role in
calming down angry youths of immigrant origin who took to the streets
last year to protest years of marginalization and discrimination at
workplace.
"We
launched a campaign themed 'Success Despite Exclusion', which sought
to convince those frustrated youths to stop seeing themselves as
victims of racism and show the other their successes and positive
initiatives," Beqly recalled.
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
independent National Committee for Police Practices has also said in a
recent report that racist acts by French police have dramatically
risen, particularly against French citizens of North African origin.
Fatwa
Tent
One
of the unique features of this year's Bourget is the fatwa tent set up
by the organizers to answer religion-related questions by many curious
youths.
"Most
of the questions centered on bank loans and unregistered marriages due
to the difficulties youths face," Anis Qirqah, the head of the
Fatwa Department of the Union of French Islamic Organizations (UOIF),
told IOL.
Qirqah
said Muslim reverts were complaining about the refusal of some Muslim
families to marry off their daughters to them.
"As
far as girls are concerned, the questions have mainly centered on
hijab and whether they were allowed to take off their headscarves in
places where they might come across troubles," he said.
France
has triggered a controversy by adopting a bill banning hijab in state
schools, a move blasted as "discriminatory" by leading
international rights groups.
