Ramadan in the Republic: Imperial necessity and local religious assistance to Muslim migrants

Abstract

In May 1953, a group of Lyon’s political and social leaders hosted a series of Ramadan celebrations in honour of the region’s growing Muslim North African migrant population. While it seems strange that civil authorities in the secular French Republic would publically observe a Muslim holiday, the French Empire had, for decades, engaged in activities to promote Muslim attachment to France and demonstrate its support for Muslim cultural and religious practices. From declarations that France was a ‘Muslim power’ through the campaigns of the Algerian War, the French consistently waived the ideals of strict laïcité in order to strengthen the imperial system. This pragmatic willingness to relax secular positions when greater state interests were at stake contrasts with contemporary claims that the Republic can make no accommodations to Islam or its observance. More importantly, this history proves that there are strong French precedents for allowing the Republic to make space for its Muslim citizens.