Former city councilor Razak Fetnan and current city councilor Patrick Allemand have rightly expressed their concern that Nice is paying tribute to those who died for France in a discriminatory way: while veterans of Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant faiths will be honored in their respective places of worship, veterans of the Muslim faith will be honored in a mere public garden.
Let’s say it clearly: this latest instance of discrimination further confirms the intolerable institutional Islamophobia perpetuated by the City of Nice for several years.
However, we need to go further: it is not acceptable for the fifth largest city in France not to pay a secular tribute to those who died for France.
What unites these men who died for France is their membership in the national community, their sacrifice for our country, and that is what binds us closely to them and why we honor them.
What role does each person’s religion play here? What role do our differences play when we seek to unite?
Many questions arise if we endorse the logic of the City of Nice: why are Muslim soldiers honored differently? Where are atheist or agnostic soldiers honored? How can we know what these soldiers believed or did not believe in?
Each religious community is free to honor its dead. But French institutions and local governments must adhere to a Republican and secular tribute, unique and common to all.
The City of Nice must pay a secular and Republican tribute to those who died for France, without considering anyone’s supposed faith.
by David Nakache, president of the association Tous Citoyens
