The daily challenge of a Muslim family under possible power of the RN!
The National Front is at our doors!
The last European elections caused a powerful shock wave, with a completely unexpected score for the National Rally (RN) in France, formerly the National Front (FN), placing it at the top of this election.
Faced with this unprecedented situation, Emmanuel Macron declared the “bolt of thunder” dissolution of the National Assembly, leading to the organization of early legislative elections. The first round will be held on June 30, followed by the second round on July 7.
The situation is serious and raises many concerns, particularly for Muslims in France, who fear the repercussions of this political upheaval and are paying the price for a strategy led by Emmanuel Macron during his seven years in power.
Through this article, we place ourselves in the shoes of a French family of Algerian origin, of Muslim tradition, living under the power of the National Front.
This imaginary story, presented in a few lines, is addressed to those who have called not to vote, to those who have forgotten, but also to those who think that voting is pointless. It also aims to show the extreme seriousness of the situation, should the National Front come to power.
The story
Like every morning, waking up early to drop my child off at school, I notice the hostile looks from certain parents. However, this is not the first time that I have made this harsh observation.
But on this day, a different atmosphere reigns. I turn on the radio in my car and learn of the election of Marine Le Pen to the presidency. A little surprised, on my return, I encountered my neighbor who was hardly friendly, not to say frankly acrimonious. She opens her door and looks at me, tilting her head, as if to say: “You will see what awaits you.”
I understand then that mentalities have suddenly changed for many French people. A breach is opened and augurs a very problematic way of living together.
I took the opportunity to go buy some meat to prepare a barbecue for the children this weekend. I go to my local butcher, surprised to see a poster in his window indicating that halal is now banned in France. I approached the manager who told me that he was going to close permanently, because he had received a letter from the prefecture informing him of this ban.
A little groggy, I get back in my car to go to the mosque like every Friday, but I discover that the neighborhood mosque has been closed. A terse message orders us to pray Friday prayers at home, prayer now being prohibited in Muslim places of worship.
Looking to my right, I see a sister, wearing a headscarf, having it violently torn off by young racists, just a few meters from police officers who look away, pretending not to see anything.
The phone is ringing. My eldest son calls me to tell me that he was fired from his internship without any explanation, and that his manager was rude to him. As for my daughter, her mother, dismayed, informs me that she came home crying, after some of her friends unkindly told her to return to her country of origin.
An anxious atmosphere reigns, making life unbearable. We have become like mice, heads down, forced to hide to avoid the looks and judgments of others.
Coming home in the evening to finally rest, I hear the doorbell ring. I open the door, but there is no one there. I tell myself that someone must have made a mistake. The doorbell rings a second time. I open it again and find a letter hanging on the door. I open it and read: “Go home!” »
On television, on the TF1 8 p.m. news, Marine Le Pen announces the departure of several charters to Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco. These flights are intended for undocumented people, while other flights are reserved for residents whose children are in trouble with the law.
Trains, from all stations in France, have been mobilized towards Marseille to transport North Africans whose one-year residence permit has not been renewed by the prefectures, in order to accompany them and send them back to their country original.
I open my computer to relax a little, at the end of a particularly oppressive day. I then came across information concerning two decrees: Arab first names are no longer accepted in France and a national preference is established for all civil servant positions… Mixed marriages are prohibited, no Muslim will be admitted into the administration.
In the neighborhoods, citizen militias encouraged by the FN patrol. Facial checks have become the norm, and police raids are increasing in areas with large immigrant populations. A simple walk in the park can turn into a humiliating confrontation with law enforcement.
My whole family is distraught, scared, my children are crying and don't want to leave the house, neither does my wife. I receive around ten calls from my friends, who are also in great distress.
These families, once optimistic about the future of their children in France, are now considering leaving the country to offer them a better life elsewhere. But leaving means leaving behind their loved ones, their home and their memories, a heartbreaking but perhaps necessary sacrifice…
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This imaginary story is only a simple illustration of the deleterious atmosphere that can set in in a racist world. It is astonishing to see to what extent an election can transform our world and make our daily lives difficult, unbearable, by bringing to power hateful people, ready to do anything to erase our past and our identity.
However, the outcome still depends on us. We still have hope of changing things. There are a few days left to mobilize and defeat the far right!
