Only Muslim: Embodying Islam in Twentieth-Century France

319 Pages·2012·1.72 MB·English

by  Naomi Davidson

ONLY MUSLIM

ONLY MUSLIM
EMBODYING ISLAM IN
TWENTIETH-CENTURY FRANCE
Naomi Davidson
CORNELL UNIVERSITY PRESS
Ithaca and London
Copyright © 2012 by Cornell University
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review,
this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any
form without permission in writing from the publisher.
For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage
House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.
First published 2012 by Cornell University Press
Printed in the United States of America
Davidson, Naomi, 1976–
Only Muslim : embodying Islam in twentieth-century
France / Naomi Davidson.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8014-5091-4 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Muslims—France—Ethnic identity. 2. Muslims—
France—Social conditions—20th century. 3. Islam—
France—History—20th century. 4. France—Ethnic
relations. I. Title.
DC34.5.M87D38 2012
305.6'970944—dc23 2012005181
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally
responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent pos-
sible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include
vegetable-based, low-VOC inks and acid-free papers that
are recycled, totally chlorine-free, or partly composed of
nonwood fibers. For further information, visit our website
at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu.
Cloth printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To my parents, Miriam and Jeff Davidson

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Note on Translation and Transliteration xiii
List of Abbreviations xv
Introduction: Muslims only as Muslims 1
1. Religion and Race in the French
Mediterranean 15
2. Un monument durable : Building the
Mosquée de Paris and Institut
Musulman 36
3. To Monitor and Aid: Muslim Bodies,
Social Assistance, and Religious
Practices 62
4. Islam français, Islam in France: Forms of
Islam in Paris and the Provinces 86
5. Islam français, Islam algérien : Islam and
the Algerian War in Paris 133
6. “Culture” and “Religion”: Immigration,
Islams, and Race in 1970s Paris 169
Conclusion: “We Want to
Contribute to the Secularization
of Islam”: Islam français in the
Twenty-First Century 205
Notes 221
Bibliography 277
Index 293

Acknowledgments
It is a pleasure to be able to thank the people
and institutions who have contributed in so many different ways to this book.
First and foremost, I want to recognize the constant support of Leora Aus-
lander, without whom this project simply would not have been. Our conver-
sations over the last decade have challenged, excited, and pushed me farther
than I imagined I could go. I appreciate her qualities not only as an engaged
scholar but also as a human being and friend (and hiking and cooking part-
ner). Katherine Taylor helped someone with little background understand
how to think about architecture and what we do with it, including walking
through the Mosquée with me to map it out in experiential terms. Michael
Geyer’s urgings to think comparatively and transnationally have enriched my
thinking. I would also like to thank Dipesh Chakrabarty and Holly Shissler
for their support and interest in my research. Finally, Joan W. Scott’s enthu-
siastic encouragement as the dissertation became a book was very welcome.
I am grateful for the generous financial support of the institutions that
made it possible to complete the research for this project from 2002 to
2007: the University of Chicago’s Kunstadter and Cochrane Travel Grants,
as well as FLAS funding for the study of Arabic in Morocco, the Georges
Lurcy Charitable Trust, the German Marshall Fund, and the Social Science
Research Council. An additional year of funding was made possible by the
Charlotte W. Newcombe Dissertation Fellowship. Finally, the University of
Chicago Center in Paris was an anchor for three years, and I am grateful not
only for the luxury of having had an office there but also for the indispens-
able support of its staff.
I would like to thank the archivists and librarians at the following insti-
tutions, many of whom went above and beyond the call of duty in helping
me locate relevant documents: in Rabat, the Archives nationales; in Paris and
its suburbs: the Archives Nationales, the Archives du Ministère des Affaires
Etrangères et Européennes, the Archives de la Préfecture de Police (spe-
cial thanks to Rémy Valat), the Archives de l’Assistance Publique/Hôpitaux
Publics, the Société historique de l’Armée de terre, the Archives départe-