Managing crisis: multiculturalism and the politics of exclusion

This chapter examines France's management of Muslim differences and the adoption of intolerant rhetoric that focuses on national identity, resulting in the enactment of Islamophobic legislation. Through an analysis of various laws, including the most recent integration law, the chapter delves into how Muslims have historically been portrayed as the "other." This, in turn, reveals how integration discourse functions to marginalize those who do not conform to a French model of normalcy, while simultaneously creating a hierarchy of belonging that defines the "deserving French citizen" and the Muslim "other" who threatens French values and identity. This polarity enables the state to implement illiberal norms to preserve liberal values, but these norms and laws raise concerns about the protection of fundamental human rights, such as religious freedom, freedom of expression, private and family life, cultural rights, and non-discrimination laws, and lead to the selection of immigrants based on their level of assimilation into French society.