Dr Christina Lienen co-authors journal article examining French law and policy affecting Muslims

27 Jan 2025

Our former tenant and current Associate Member, Dr Christina Lienen, recently published a peer-reviewed article in a Q1 academic journal. The co-authored piece, written with Dr Samir Sweida-Metwally, titled “French Islamophobia: How Orthopraxy Is Conceptualized as a Public Peril,” addresses issues of equality, discrimination, and minority rights, focusing on the challenges faced by Muslims in France over the past two decades.

Written from an Islamic legal perspective, the paper analyses French legislation, policy and executive statements and argues that France’s approach to Islam involves a two-step process of institutionalized Islamophobia. Firstly, the state redefines mainstream Islamic orthopraxy as “extreme,” positioning ordinary religious practices against averred Republican values. Secondly, it promotes an alternative concept of “French Islam” that aligns with secular principles and strips the faith of its religious essence. This redefined version is presented as the only acceptable way for Muslims to practice their faith in France. The paper contends that this process is not about upholding laïcité or state neutrality, and provides a critical new perspective on the ongoing debate about religious freedom and secularism in France.

Dr Lienen previously drafted submissions in an application to the European Court of Human Rights for a French lawyer who was banned from wearing the hijab in court. She is currently Assistant Professor of Public Law and Head of the Bachelor of Law programme at the British University in Dubai.