by dvx
Fri Feb 19th, 2010 at 07:02:10 AM EST
Several times on ET, we've come to the verge of virtual blows on account of France's radical response to Islamic accouterments.
Here's a new twist that sheds another light on the subject.
I found this in today's Frankfurter Allgemeine (and props thereto for limiting their snark to a single pun in the title). Unfortunately it's short, so I can't excerpt all the tasty quotes for copyright reasons. But anyway, bon appetit:
| Islamisches Fastfood: Burger zweiter Klasse - Hintergründe - Politik - FAZ.NET | | Islamic fast food - second-class snacks [NB: the German headline is a pun on "second-class citizens" -ed.] |
| 19. Februar 2010 Als Verkaufsschlager hat sich der ,,Halal-Burger" für das französische Schnellrestaurant der Marke Quick im Stadtzentrum von Roubaix erwiesen. Der Umsatz wurde fast verdoppelt, seit Quick Schweine- und gewöhnliches Rindfleisch aus seinem Angebot verbannt hat und nur noch den islamischen Schlachtregeln entsprechendes Fleisch verkauft. | | 19 February 2010 - The "Halal Burger" has proved a hot seller for the French fast-food restaurant Quick in the center of the city of Roubaix. Sales have almost doubled since quick stuck pork and regular beef from its menu and now sells only meet slaughtered according to Islamic principles. |
| Doch jetzt will der sozialistische Bürgermeister von Roubaix, René Vandierendonck, die ,,Hohe Behörde gegen Diskriminierungen und für Gleichberechtigung" (Halde) anrufen. Vandierendonck sieht in dem ausschließlich an muslimische Bürger gerichteten Halal-Angebot eine Diskriminierung aller Andersgläubigen. Die Bevölkerungsmehrheit in Roubaix stammt aus Nordafrika, ein Großteil hat einen muslimischen Hintergrund. Der Bürgermeister droht, per Dekret dem Schnellrestaurant seine Lizenz zu entziehen. ,,Es handelt sich um eine im ganzen Land präsente Schnellrestaurantkette, deren Eigentümer noch dazu die staatliche Caisse des dépôts ist. Es entsteht ein wirkliches Diskriminierungsproblem, wenn ausschließlich Halal-Produkte angeboten werden", sagte Vandierendonck. | | But now the Socialist mayor of Roubaix, René Vendierendonck, wants to summon the "High Authority against Discrimination and for Equality" (HALDE). Vendierendonck sees in the halal offering targeting solely Islamic citizens as discrimination against persons of all other faiths. The majority of Roubaix' population originates from North Africa, a large proportion has an Islamic background. The mayor is threatening to revoke the fast-food restaurant's license by decree. "This is a fast-food chain with locations everywhere in our country, and its owner is the state Caisse des dépôts. It really creates a discrimination problem when they offer only halal products," said Vendierendonck. |
And the fun continues with alarmed, guaranteed content-free quotes from Jean-Marie Le Pen and Education Minister Luc Chatel.
So here we have the spectacle of a small-town mayor from the very fringes of La Grande Nation (Roubaix lies north of Lille, within a stone's-throw of the Belgian border) defending the ethnic purity of that quintessential icon of French cuisine... the hamburger?
Or is he bravely crusading against dietary superstitions held by only a minority of citizens? In that case, what's next - banning kosher restaurants? Macrobiotic meals? Vegan eateries? (Admittedly those last two would be low-hanging fruit...)
Quick says they're simply test-marketing a special product line (this is one of 8 test sites), and they had to serve all-halal because otherwise mix-ups with non-halal could happen too easily. And besides, they add, Kentucky Fried Chicken already offers a halal product.
With respect to the concrete accusation of discrimination, nowhere does the article note that Quick is refusing to sell halal burgers to non-Muslims, nor is there any indication that the halal products differ materially from the non-halal sort (unless, that is, you like bacon burgers).
But despite that, if we're to believe Vandierendonck, Le Pen and Luc Chatel,
[Europe.Is.Doomed™ Alert]
- and the French government is paying for it. (They're actually claiming that, btw.)
I could snark all day on this. Especially because it's so sad.
Certainly, the emergence of an Islamic sensibility (and one of the backwoods variety!) in Europe is a Bad Thing for reasons need not go into.
But the burqa bashers conveniently forget that this Islamic identity took hold in Europe (not just in France) in the context of - and as a response to - widespread alienation, marginalization and discrimination. And to the extent that it provides individuals with a sense of worth they cannot otherwise find, it is healthy.
If France was serious about bringing its Muslim citizens into the mainstream, it would address the root causes. The panicky burqa-bashing and halal-hating is just cheap politicking to scare the white folks.
