Salam alikoum
I am a French muslim and I can confirm all that was said in these posts.
Yes, in France :
- we can't pray in front of people, in a park, or a street. If you do it everybody will be choked and will see you as a potential terrorist. You can also be attacked, even if you are white, a french converted to islam. It doesn't change anything, French are afraid by muslims and by the practice of religion in general. In my university some sisters were praying in a little corridor where no body passes. A member of the univ saw them and , he souted "don't pray, it is forbiden!!!" and they have been fired! We have to hide very carrefully to pray. And since this time, there is a guardian who check the classes rooms, the corridors, the urgency stairs at the time prayers to see if we pray and to catch us. In my university, we study arabic language, so there are a lot of muslim and everybody got used to us. There are kind, but they don't like religion.
- we can't work with the hijab, there is a law for that. Some do but it is VERY difficult to find an open minded employer, it's very rare and even if we studied and if we are smart and skilful, we find only phoning with a lot of luck. When you wear hijab in France, you are almost sure that you won't work
- we can't go to school under the A-levels with hijab, ther is a law for that
- at the university, we still can wear the hijab because there is no law to forbid it but the government is preparing a law against us. Even, there are professors who don't want us in their courses sometimes
- we have difficulties in hospitals, in townhall sometimes, in everything wich is connected with the State actually. It depends of the towns. It happen that a mayor refuses to marry people because the wife wears the hijab. It happens that a policeman refuses to take a woman's complain because she entered with hijab in the police office. The State is studing a law to forbidd the hijab in every public place : towhall, hospitals...
French people don't like religion, most of them don't beleive in God. Some of them are christians but they don't practice a lot. Nothing to see with english, american people. French people don't respect religion. If you talk about religion, most of them run.
You can leave in France being muslim, but to not have problems, a muslim has to be very discreet, to not talk about religion, it has to stay "private". But when a christian wears a cross, no problem. But still, he has to stay discreet as well.
They don't understand that islam is a part of us and that we can't hide everything. They don't respect religion freedom.
That what I can say. For my part, I wich I will manage to leave France to find a more open-minded country.
If you have more question, ask me.
Salam alikoum
This is what I can
