The 2023 edition of the study "Immigrants and the Descendants of Immigrants", published by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, revealed the central role that the family plays in the reproduction of religious affiliation, stressing that religions - and Islam in particular - continue to exert a strong influence on individuals in France, and that they are tools that help adapt and develop in a hostile world.
With these brief words, the French website Orient XXI summarized the study, which is based on the second edition of the "Pathways and Origins" survey conducted between 21 and 2019 to scrutinize the idea of secularization, particularly between Muslims and Jews.
The survey of a representative sample of just over 27,18 people, aged 59 to <>, found significant testimony, although it excluded the bulk of the population that is more religious-oriented, according to other studies.
Powerful conveyor within the family
Although academia and politics consider secularization a trend that is constantly advancing in various Western societies, and that Europe - especially France - has been at the forefront of this movement in terms of believing that religion is soluble in modernity, figures published by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies revealed that Catholicism is still the first religion in France with 29% of the population claiming it, and that Islam is witnessing significant growth in the country, as 10% of the population proclaims themselves Muslims, which confirms its status. As the second religion in France.
When the survey highlights the importance of religious practice among immigrants and their descendants, it finds that 58% of people without a migrant background say they have no religion, while this percentage drops to only 19% among immigrants who arrived after the age of 16, although individuals between the ages of 18 and 59 are admittedly not religious.
With regard to religious affiliations and practices within immigrant families and descendants in France, the survey shows that the sharp decline in religious practice among Christian families did not apply to Muslim and Jewish families, and shows that religious inheritance is stronger among individuals who grew up in a Muslim family, with 91% considering them to belong to their parents' religion, compared to 84% among Jews and only 67% among Catholics.
Women's Commitment
This strong transmission of Islam from one generation to another, according to Nabil Mati, who summarized the study for the website, can be explained in light of the importance of the supervisory role of mothers - even in the religious field - within immigrant families from North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and Turkey in particular, as the institute's statistics show that 78% of women who declare themselves Muslims consider religion important in their lives, compared to 73% of men.
Statistics also show that the transmission of religion within migrant families is of great importance, and that it is often carried out by involving Muslim women in religious and cultural associations.
"If Muslim women were not present in our structures, it would be difficult for many associations to carry out activities, as these mothers and sisters show remarkable dedication and are always ready to commit free of charge," says Warda, a teacher and director of an association in Seine-Saint-Denis in Paris.
Mokhtar, former vice-president of the Association of Alsace Muslims, said that women's involvement in religious activities, associations and mosques is a means of emancipation for them.
The study advises to complement the results of the survey with an in-depth analysis of the factors of transmission of Islamic identity in France, especially the analysis of the impact of right-wing and far-right discourse that demands integration, that is, abandonment of culture and indigenous religion, especially since the research showed that sharp discussions about stigmatizing Muslim women led to the creation of women as a "religious shield" to protect themselves, as Mokhtar believes, pointing out that the transmission of religion to children, in such hostile conditions, becomes a vital priority.