The distance between Paris and Baga

This has been a momentous week for France – as momentous as any in its history, according to most mainstream commentators. Really? What about the 3 million Frenchmen killed in the first world war? Or the Nazi occupation of Paris and most of France, lasting four years?

Amid the self-congratulatory solidarity-fest, the impressive spectacle of world leaders walking hand in hand, the reputed million marches, and the wall to wall media coverage, some basic questions were never asked, such as: What is the main event colouring and poisoning France’s relations with its muslims? Why has France such a high Muslim population? What was the last massacre on the streets of Paris? What was the significance of the name of the ‘fourth suspect’, who attracted a frenzy of media attention just because she was female, although it later transpired she was not even in the country when the attacks took place.

The answers to these questions are interesting but simple, being based on one word: Algeria.  For eight years, from 1954 to 1962, fought a bloody war against insurgents to retain a hold on its colony which indeed it regarded and governed as an integral part of France.  Something like a million Algerian Muslims were killed by military forces, the situation being compounded by recalcitrant French settlers who formed their own secret army to terrorise the local population.  General de Gaulle came to power in France, and granted Algeria its independence, amid another orgy of bloodletting which involved another million people, the majority of the French settlers and collaborators fleeing to France.    The last massacre in Paris?  It was in October 1961 when the French police and military gunned down 500 Algerian demonstrators.  The significance of the female 'terrorist', Hayat Boumedienne.  Try the strongman and dictator of Algeria in the 1960's and 70's - Houari Boumedienne.  Any possible relation?
 
Such is the background of French, muslim relations.

And of course few commentators pointed out that on almost the same day as the Paris attacks, some hundreds or thousands - it may never be known - perished the victims or terrorism at the hands of Boko Haram, without millions of solidarity marchers, presidential speeches or hashtags.   You get a lot of attention if you are a European victim of terrorism, but African victims die alone.  See http://www.namibian.com.na/indexx.php?id=22033&page_type=story_detail  for a very moving piece.