He was reacting to the protests and riots of Islamic immigrants who had become a significant minority of France coming mostly from North Africa—especially the former French Colonies where French was spoken and the French educational and legal system were in effect. France, traditionally, has been one of the most open countries to immigrants and minorities however the unwritten cultural norm was that the immigrant would always identify first as a Frenchman, and adopt French language, manners, values and customs. Unlike the United States or Canada where immigrants could easily maintain most of their values, cultural traditions and languages, France required more assimilation to succeed. The Muslim immigrants at the turn of the millennium were not as malleable as other French immigrant groups especially with respect to the treatment of women and the freedom of expression that has always been so valuable to the French. The combination produced misunderstanding, discrimination and far less economic opportunity than other groups of immigrants had previously.
