I am directly discussing your ideas and use the Nazi comparisons to show how the exact same ideas were used. That you use the same words they did, is just another reason you should reconsider the things you say, not the foundation of my argument
Again, I agree that some immigrants integrate, however some donât
âAgainâ despite this being the first time youâve said some immigrants integrate
What percentage that is can only be a wild guess
No, we have data, which Iâve linked and youâve ignored. Iâll copy paste it in case youâre unable to click my links
Religion
First of all, any projections like that vastly underestimate intergenerational attrition of religious affiliation and simply assume that all immigrants from Muslim-majority countries and their descendants are Muslim and are going to remain Muslim. However, in the particular case of France, such an assumption doesnât even remotely reflect reality. For example, North Africa is the most common region of origin for French Muslims. However, only 64% of the descendants of immigrants from Algeria and 65% of descendants of immigrants from Morocco and Tunisia currently identify as Muslim (INSEE, 2023b, Figure 2). Moreover, the survey also found that religiosity declines over time even among those who remain Muslim (INSEE, 2023b, Figure 4).
Birth rates
However, claims about persistent significant differences in fertility rates between residents with roots in Muslim-majority countries and other residents of France has been proven to be false. For example, while fertility rates are somewhat higher among immigrants from North African countries, these rates for daughters of North African migrants fully converge with those of French women without an immigrant background (INSEE, 2023c).
Residential segregation
French Census data demonstrate a lack of isolation among resident foreigners coming from Muslim-majority countries. For example, an average Tunisian in France resides in neighborhoods that, on average, include 2.3% Tunisian co-residents. Similarly, for Algerians, this share is 5.0%; for Moroccans, itâs 5.1%; and for Turks, 3.7% (Pan Ke Shon and Verdugo, 2015). These numbers hardly indicate total social exclusion or ethnic ghettoization.
Intermarriage
Moreover, immigrants and descendants of immigrants from Muslim-majority countries are not just living in the same neighborhoods as people of other origins; they are living in the same households. The share of interethnic marriages among children of Maghrebi immigrants in France has increased from less than a quarter in 1992 (Tribalat, 1995; Lucassen and Laarman, 2009) to 57% in 2020 (INSEE, 2022). Crucially, we are not only seeing a gradually rising prevalence of interethnic marriage as immigrants from Muslim-majority countries and their descendants are gradually integrating into the host societies, but we are observing accelerated integration, as current children of immigrants (second-generation immigrants) demonstrate significantly higher exogamy rates than second-generation immigrants from the same countries several decades ago. Interestingly, such an acceleration of assimilation and integration of immigrants and their descendants is not unique to France and is actually quite common (as I am going to describe in one of my future posts).
Interethnic and interfaith marriages are now normal in France, and opposition to them is quite low among both Muslim and non-Muslim residents. In 2023, 70% of French residents are totally comfortable (Eurobarometer, 2023) with a love relationship of their child (or potential child) with a person of Muslim faith (including almost 85% among people younger than 35). For comparison, in 2015, the percentage of those totally comfortable stood at 62%, and only 53% among those born before 1960 (Eurobarometer, 2015).
Similarly, the same Eurobarometer surveys from 2019 and 2023 indicate that 71% of French Muslims are totally comfortable with the love relationship of their child with a Christian partner (while only 14% are uncomfortable).
Language
only 6% of adult children of immigrants from North Africa declare that they are able to read, speak, write, and understand the language of their parents very well (INSEE, 2023a). These numbers are somewhat higher when it comes to the ability to at least speak and understand the ancestral language very well (34% for descendants of immigrants from Algeria and 39% for those from Morocco and Tunisia). Crucially, 95% of adult second-generation immigrants from Algeria and 92% from Tunisia and Morocco declare that their parents used French when speaking to them during their childhood (INSEE, 2023a). Moreover, close to 40% of adult descendants of immigrants from those origins communicated with their parents exclusively in French (as their parents never used Arabic or Berber when speaking to them).
Gay rights
Eurobarometer surveys from 2019 to 2023 demonstrate that only 33% of French Muslims oppose gay marriage (Eurobarometer, 2019; Eurobarometer, 2023). Other recent surveys follow the same pattern. European Social Surveys from 2016 to 2020 also show high and rising support for gay rights among French Muslims. Only 44% among them oppose adoption by gay and lesbian couples. Importantly, the opposition declines to 31% among Muslims born in France (ESS Data Portal, 2023).
As you can see, the majority integrate. In what way do you think immigrants donât integrate?
