But tbh ignoring history and crying “it wasn’t me, I shouldn’t feel bad” is short-sighted and how y’all got here in the first place.

That’s not what I’m saying. Sure there are a lot of people like that in France and in Europe. Still, France gives billions of euros each year to developing countries, and welcomes quite a few refugees. This very post is about France and others fighting for the rights of Palestinians. As it should.

But you know what’s equally short-sighted? Saying that Islam is totally harmless, and that white people are the cause of all problems. And honestly, that’s the vibe I’m getting from these answers.

Yes I did learn about colonialism in school. I don’t get your point though. I should personally be ashamed, and tolerate people teaching their little kids to light girls’ hair on fire, because of colonialism? How is that different from demanding every Muslim to apologize for terrorist attacks?

My children are half-cambodian, just this week my 7yo was told to go back to her country by some asshole kid at her school. The normalisation of the far-right and the prospect of a RN presidency is a huge concern for me, as is the fact that the left calls me a racist when I mention the very real Islam-related issues I personally encountered.

No, I’m saying that if only the Nazis talk about an issue, people who are concerned about this issue will listen to them, and then vote for them. Which is obviously bad, so I’d very much like the left to pull their head from the sand and face the problems caused by Islam, like they faced the problems caused by Christianity, so that we come up with a sensible and compassionate alternative to the terrible things the RN proposes.

Sure but we don’t have christians or Jews decapitating teachers for showing pictures, or otherwise trying to impose their beliefs and customs on others. I mean, we had quite a few Christians like that, but we mostly fixed the issue when we hung dozens of priests. The left remembers this fondly, while you can’t say anything negative about Islam without being called a bigot.

Sure, the right sees them that way. I don’t, and I’m far from alone. I have many Muslim friends and colleagues, wonderful people that I look up to, and with whom I’ve had very interesting conversations about religion. Up until last year I accommodated my BIL as best as I could, making sure there were appropriate food and drinks options for him, providing him with a room to pray in, and so on. I have absolutely no problem with religious people, as long as respect and understanding goes both ways.

But as you say, there are radical Muslims, and it’s not racist to be concerned about this issue and its consequences. A teacher was decapitated for showing fucking pictures to his class, because a student lied to her father who was all too happy to launch a hate campaign against the teacher. Many people cheered at the news on social networks. In my daughter’s school, a fucking 6yo was caught lighting a girl’s hair on fire because girls are supposed to cover their hair. Is that not concerning?

But sure, you can dismiss it all as islamophobia, and then wonder why more and more people vote for the RN.

And it’s all about immigration rhetoric.

Yeah because the left ignores the subject, leaving it to (far-)right parties. It’s a mistake IMO, Islam is not harmless. My brother in law is a Muslim convert. Last year during Christmas, the whole Santa thing was a huge issue, he wouldn’t explain to his kids that some children believe in different things than them.

And it’s only gotten worse, a few months ago he announced that he wouldn’t come to family gatherings anymore if there was any alcohol or non-halal food. He says that he doesn’t want to expose his kids to that. So what does that teach them? That common french beverages, foods and customs are so wrong that they can’t see their aunts and cousins anymore. How do they grow up to be well-adjusted members of society with that kind of upbringing?

So we’re really worried about where things are headed, and the only answer from the political class is either “there’s nothing wrong with Islam you bigot” or “send them back to their country”…