Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06PARIS6995
2006-10-24 14:45:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Paris
Cable title:  

YOUNG FRENCH MUSLIM LEADER HIGHLIGHTS GENERATIONAL

Tags:  KISL INR PTER SCUL FR 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO8571
PP RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDBU RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHLH RUEHPW RUEHROV
DE RUEHFR #6995/01 2971445
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 241445Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2485
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES
RUCNISL/ISLAMIC COLLECTIVE
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 006995 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/26/2016
TAGS: KISL INR PTER SCUL FR
SUBJECT: YOUNG FRENCH MUSLIM LEADER HIGHLIGHTS GENERATIONAL
DIVIDE

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Josiah B. Rosenblatt
for reasons 1.4(b)(d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 006995

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/26/2016
TAGS: KISL INR PTER SCUL FR
SUBJECT: YOUNG FRENCH MUSLIM LEADER HIGHLIGHTS GENERATIONAL
DIVIDE

Classified By: Political Minister Counselor Josiah B. Rosenblatt
for reasons 1.4(b)(d).


1. (C) SUMMARY. Ahmed Gouffi, a young French-born Muslim
civic leader, criticized the leaders of France's main Muslim
organizations as out of touch with young Muslims born in
France. His comments echo those of other young French Muslim
contacts, and highlight a generational divide between
French-born Muslims and their immigrant parents and
grandparents. During several meetings with Poloff, which
included a walking tour of his northern Paris suburb and a
meeting with his town's mayor, Gouffi concluded that French
Muslims will not be fully accepted by, or integrated into,
French society until a new generation of French-born Muslims
takes leadership positions in France's Muslim organizations.
He added that his generation of French-born Muslims is
distinct from their parents and grandparents because they are
more vocal in asserting their French identity. Gouffi said
that while earlier immigrants came to France to find
employment and largely remained silent on political issues,
his generation of French-born Muslims is demanding acceptance
as equal French citizens from French society and a more
active role in the nation's political life. END SUMMARY.

GENERATIONAL DIVIDE: "OUR MUSLIM LEADERS WERE NOT BORN IN
FRANCE, AND THEY HAVE ACCENTS"


2. (C) The loudest cheers during an October 12 "iftar"
sponsored by the National Federation of French Muslims (FNMF)
in the ethnically mixed suburb of Clichy-la-Garenne north of
Paris went to Ahmed Gouffi, a young French-born Muslim of
Algerian descent, who provoked a sustained ovation with an
emotional address about discrimination he said Muslims face
in France. Citing the recent release of the film
"Indigenes," which celebrates the role of African soldiers
from France's colonies who helped liberate France during
World War II, Gouffi declared: "Now the whole world knows
what our fathers and grandfathers did for France." Gouffi,
who is director of the technical services division of a local
housing agency, is active in his community and serves on a
wide range of municipal projects meant to improve the lives

of local residents. His involvement in the development of a
new Muslim cultural center was mentioned during an October 23
Eid al-Fitr prayer service, marking the end of the Islamic
holy month of Ramadan, in the suburbs north of Paris that
drew over 1,000 people.


3. (C) During several meetings with Poloff over the course
of Ramadan, Gouffi harshly criticized FNMF President Mohammed
Bechari and other prominent French Muslim leaders as being
"out of touch" with French-born Muslims, particularly younger
people. "I listen to them talk and I cover my face with my
hands," he said. "They can't speak French well. They have
accents. They don't understand France, and they weren't born
here," he declared. "How can they speak for us?" he asked.
He noted that Bechari was introduced at the "iftar" in
Arabic, and explained that he and many French-born Muslims do
not speak Arabic well. Gouffi pointed to well-publicized
tensions between organizations dominated by different ethnic
groups in the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) as
evidence that the current generation of French Muslim leaders
has not fully integrated into French society. "Look at them,
their heads are still in Algeria and Morocco," he noted
dismissively. "So often I will see something happen, and I
will want to tell them: 'Look, you are not in Algeria
anymore, and we can't do things like that anymore.'"


4. (C) Gouffi's comments mirror those of other young
French-born Muslims. For example, a Franco-Tunisian
university student recently told us that he and his friends
have "very different ideas" than imams and Muslim leaders at
many of France's major mosques who were not born in France,
including Paris Grand Mosque Rector and CFCM President Dalil
Boubakeur, who was born in Algeria. At the October 24 Eid
al-Fitr prayer service, several young men sitting near Poloff
mocked the accents of speakers, several of whom appeared more
comfortable speaking in Arabic, when they spoke French. "Ah,
what are you trying to say, I understand nothing," one young
man whispered in response to a speaker while his friends
laughed. Gouffi and other young French-born Muslims state
that France's Muslims will not be fully accepted by, nor
integrated into, French society until their leaders and
spokespeople are Muslims who were born and raised in France.
They often point to Minister of Equal Opportunities Azouz
Begag, who is of Algerian descent but was born in France, as
a role model for French Muslims who want to integrate into
French society while remaining proud of their cultural
heritage. Gouffi, whose civic involvement has gained

PARIS 00006995 002 OF 002


recognition beyond Clichy-la-Garenne, stated that he knows
the minister and respects him. "I have worked with Begag on
some projects, and he is good," Gouffi said.

YOUNGER GENERATION OF FRENCH MUSLIMS MORE ASSERTIVE IN
CLAIMING FRENCH IDENTITY


5. (C) Gouffi stated that his generation of French-born
Muslims is distinct from their parents and grandparents
because the younger generation is more vocal in asserting
their French identity, and in demanding equal political and
social rights. "My parents came here to find a job, and were
happy just to work. They kept their mouths shut," Gouffi
explained. "But the young people now are different because
they are demanding acceptance by France, and want to have the
same chances as everybody else," he said. He declared that
his generation has greater expectations from French society,
and wants to play a more active role in the country's
political process. "We're not going to be quiet like our
parents were, and when we have a problem with something we
let people know," Gouffi said. "I think France has noticed
us now."

YOUNG MUSLIM LEADER CONTEMPLATES HIGHER GOALS . . .


6. (C) Gouffi is not shy about his aspirations to become more
involved in his community. Giving Poloff a walking tour of
the suburb of Clichy-la-Garenne, Gouffi explained that he was
raised "in a violent suburb" of Lyon in southeastern France.
He often cites his patriotism for France and his love for
Clichy-la-Garenne. During the tour, he came across many
friends and acquaintances, kissing non-Muslim women on both
cheeks in greeting while simply putting his hand on his heart
when he came across several Muslim female acquaintances.
Similarly, he alternated between shaking the hands of
non-Arab men while kissing Arab male acquaintances in a
traditional greeting. The outgoing Gouffi, whom one
acquaintance described as "knowing everyone in this town,"
took obvious pride in his ability to connect with Clichy
citizens of various ethnic backgrounds. He stressed that he
"wants to be friends with everyone, not just Muslims or
Arabs." At city hall, Gouffi walked into Mayor Gilles
Catoire's office without an appointment, introducing Poloff
to the mayor and his chief-of-staff, Philippe Palomo. The
mayor praised Gouffi's involvement in the community, citing
him as an example of the civic responsibility he said he
hopes to see among his city's younger generation.


. . . BUT WORRIES ABOUT RACISM


7. (C) When Poloff asked Gouffi following the meeting with
the mayor whether he plans to run for elective office,
however, Gouffi responded with ambivalence. Often discussing
the lack of elected representatives of Arab descent in
France, Gouffi noted that the non-Muslim mayor has been in
office for 25 years "like a mayor in Algeria." Nodding when
a friend in a coffeeshop stated that the French principles of
"liberty, equality, and fraternity can seem like hypocrisy"
to those who feel discriminated against in France, Gouffi
acknowledged doubts about whether he could ascend to a
position like the mayor's. While remaining optimistic about
the ability of his generation of French Muslims to integrate
and succeed in France, he maintained that there are still
glass ceilings for those who do not strive hard enough to
integrate fully into French society. Stating that he
believes he has been denied job interviews because his first
name is "Ahmed," a commonly recognizable Arab name, Gouffi
concluded: "If I have a son, I don't think I would name him
Ahmed or Mohammed. Those names are too Muslim. I think I
have been denied jobs because of my name, and I don't want to
put my kids through that."


Please visit Paris' Classified Website at:
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/paris/index.c fm
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