Meet Rachid Nekkaz, wealthy Algerian businessman, civil rights crusader — and debt payer — who is inserting himself into the middle of Europe’s culture wars.
In France, it has been forbidden to wear full-face covering clothes in public since 2009. Anyone caught wearing a burka on the street could technically incur a fine of 150 Euros.
This summer, following a string of terrorist attacks that have exacerbated inter-communitarian tensions, a couple of French mayors took things one step further and decided to ban the burkini (a portmanteau of burka and bikini) – a full body swimsuit favored by some conservative Muslim women.
French police have already stirred outrage online by levying fines on women wearing burkinis on beaches in the Riviera. Two officers were even photographed forcing a burkini-clad beachgoer to strip off the attire in full view of everyone in the area.
For Nekkaz, laws such as the burkini ban are a disconcerting abuse of power and a threat to civil liberties. So he’s decided to pay the fines these women incur for breaking the law. He talked to Heat Steet about the latest skirmish in the clothing wars, and his role in it.
- What motivated you to start helping these women? What are trying to say with these gestures?
I’m not religious, so this has nothing to do with religion. I’m not here to defend Islam, what I defend are civil liberties and freedom of conscience — the right for people to decide for themselves.
I guess it all started with 9/11. As an Algerian citizen, this day premised for me the divorce between Western civilization and the Muslim world. And ever since, my fears have only been confirmed: I’ve quietly watching that relationship deteriorate at home and abroad.
When the French government banned the Muslim headscarf from schools in 2005, that raised a red flag for me. But I didn’t do anything at the time, knowing that it would only apply to pupils in schools, which is one of the most secular institutions in France.
Then in 2010 came the so-called “burka” ban. According to this law, if you’re a Muslim woman walking down the street — down the street! — and you’re wearing a burka or any other full-face covering garment (the law precludes citizens from hiding their face in public on security grounds), you can get fined.
At the time, even the Conseil d’Etat – France’s highest court – pointed out that the ban had no juridical basis and was liberty-threatening, but the then-president (Nicolas Sarkozy) didn’t care. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Yet another law that disproportionately targeted Muslim women, women in general. I couldn’t let it pass.
I’d always wanted to bolster the fight against discriminations and thought: “If I can’t persuade 577 MPs to reverse course,” there’s only one thing that will help: my checkbook! You’ve got to fight the problem at the root, and what better way to rig the system than by paying off their debts?
- How does it work? Do these women reach out to you or do you get in touch with local authorities to find our who’s been fined?
Niqab and burkini-wearing women know exactly who I am and know where to find me! My details are widely available.
When they contact me, I ask them where they were fined — if it’s on the street or on the beach then I’ll pay for their fine — anywhere else, like a shopping center, I must turn them down. My only condition is that they sign a written agreement to stay away from proselytism or any kind of radical activity.
Living their religion freely is fine of course — but I can’t be accused of financing or supporting extremists of any kind. That would totally annihilate my efforts.
- Do you personally think the burka is an oppressive outfit?
In Saudi Arabia and in Afghanistan that goes without saying! Full-face covering veils are symbols of oppression because these are oppressive regimes. In Europe, however, nobody is forcing anyone to wear the veil. Three-quarters of French women who wear the veil are converted Muslims who have made that decision. It’s extremely important to make that geographical distinction. Now you can disagree with that choice or not, but it’s a leap to say that it’s inherently a symbol of women’s subjection.
Ironically, I’m personally against women shrouding themselves under a burka. I don’t think it’s the best way to integrate in Western society. Actually, it’s probably the worse thing you could do if you’re trying to integrate into a society as Islamophobic as France. But EVEN if I disagree, just like Voltaire in the Calas trial I will defend to the death their right to wear it. It’s a matter of principles.
- It has now been 5 years since the burka ban was passed, with disappointing results. Now all eyes are on the burkini. Why are these policies so bad in your mind?
Whenever you discuss a policy, you should always ask yourselves: who is behind it, and in what context was it devised?
Back in 2010, Sarkozy took a sharp rightward turn with the burka ban, hoping to take a few points off Marine le Pen (the leader of the far-right party Front national) right before the election. We are once again, only months away from a general election. Tensions are high in France with all the terrorist attacks. The economy is in shambles after months of social unrest. It’s politically beneficial to pass measures like these in that context. No wonder the majority of French people support the ban! Islamophobia is on the rise and politicians are exploiting people’s fears. It’s pure fear mongering — that and electoral engineering.
Around the time of the burka ban, there was a political slogan saying “La republique se vit a visage decouvert” (The Republic is a place where faces are uncovered.) But what people tend to forget is that the burkini does not conceal the face, it is not even a religious outfit. As such, there is no legitimate legal reason to prevent women from wearing it.
Policies like these are exacerbating tensions, pitting French people against each other and turning France into a parody of itself. But so be it. I’m glad these policies are failing and showing the authoritarian side of this country.
- What consequences could this ban have?
Secularism is sacrosanct in France – it means religion and the state are strictly separated. The problem, however, is that it’s a negative concept and certainly not a neutral one. France built itself in total opposition to any form of religion. Initially, it was Catholicism – people used to vote in Churches on Sunday, and religion played a huge role in public life. Too big a role maybe. Fearing that the Church was gaining political ground, politicians removed religion from public life. Now the same thing is happening with Islam!
France still hasn’t fully reckoned with its colonial past and hadn’t anticipated the growth of its Muslim population. It didn’t anticipate that Imams would be part of French history, that they would open prayer rooms, or that second generation migrants – born and bred in France – would not want to eat pork in school canteens. And now French society is simply rejecting the fact that Muslims are VISIBLE and that they can display any kind of religious affiliation.
Europe at large is going crazy over the very visibility of Islam in the public space! But here, it is really French mayors who are provoking everyone. The controversy around “burkinis” didn’t even exist until politicians decided to enforce these “bans.” It’s totally a political issue, not a societal one. But if we carry on like this, we’re paving the way for a real social clash.
- Have you ever considered the fact that what you’re doing is borderline illegal? Do you care? Have you received threats for your actions?
A militant doesn’t need permission to fight his cause! I know what I have to do. It’s normal for people to criticize you, but critics won’t stop me from doing what I have to do. I didn’t wait for an authorization to defend the rights of Tibetans in China or to intervene to free a French family from the hands of Boko Haram.
I’m not scared of anybody.
But it’s not like they haven’t tried: I’ve been the target of four international audits, of a disparaging press campaign. I’ve been called a “jihadist.”
There’s even been a bill drafted and backed by 45 officials proposing to put me in prison for three months.
But I don’t care. I have one mission: uphold civil liberties and remind the French political class of the difference between a democracy of opinions and a democracy of principles. France was built on the principles of “Liberté- Egalité- Fraternité” (Liberty, Equality and Brotherhood) after all – it must reinforce those above all else lest they lose all meaning.
- As irrational as it may be, the fear, the discomfort, is real today. What’s the alternative in your view?
A better alternative? A government that genuinely wants to facilitate the “vivre ensemble” – communities living together — intellectuals with moderate views who value principles over fear, a trustworthy political class with the interests of people at heart, journalists who do their jobs by calling out liberty-threatening measures, and corresponding efforts from citizens themselves.
It has to come from both ends, and it starts with small things. Think about it. If French Muslims named their children Jacques and Paul instead of Mohammed or Ouachid, do you think ordinary French people would fear them as much? It sounds silly but history is a long process, social issues are complex and semantics are incredibly important.
- What’s your next battlefield? Do you have political ambitions of your own?
I fight for human rights – I’m an activist and an Algerian citizen before anything else (Nekkaz relinquished his French citizenship in 2013). And right now, I’m fully involved in Algeria’s political life.
But I am also planning an operation at the Cannes film festival in May 2017, where 100 women wearing the burkini will gather around a large check covering all the fines they will incur. So that once and for all, in front the international press, this freedom-robbing law will be ridiculed as it deserves to be.
