Riots in France

As France attempts to quell the violence which has occurred over the past few days, I can only help but wonder why all this happened in the first place. Yes, the direct cause for the riots is the two young Muslim men who were electrocuted when apparently hiding from the police in a power plant. This still, however, does not explain the tremendous uproar that ensued after their tragic deaths. The answer, I believe, is rooted much deeper in an ethnic and religious clash that has been going on in France for decades now. The once dominant Christian population is experiencing negative growth, while the Muslim population in France (many of North African descent) is steadily on the rise. This has caused much internal strife between the two religious and ethnic groups. Once again, unfortunately, religion is at the center of oppression and violence. The Muslims in France have long been ostracized from society, making up a large percentage of the unemployed lower class. To the remaining French Christians, these outsiders of a different religious background pose a serious threat to their way of life and their country’s future. It is unfortunate that after thousands of years, violence in the name of religion continues to rage in the streets of Parisian suburbs and all over the world.