Young French Muslims Flee to Dubai, Citing Identity Struggles at Home

"I have my whole life in France: my culture, my references, my friends... I did all my schooling there," tells the newspaper Le Parisien Mehdi Belhocine, 32, who preferred to leave the Hexagon where he had grown up "with his ass between two chairs." "I also have this Arab-Muslim culture. In France, I no longer felt comfortable. I had the impression of having to choose between being French or Muslim," he confides. He denounces an "uninhibited racism in France" that forced him to return to his native country, Algeria, at the age of 24. "I’ve heard ’bougnoule’, ’go back’ to your country. Part of the people didn’t want me. Too bad, I’m leaving."

The return to the country will not be easy. He does not find his usual comfort. He then settles in Dubai, which he describes as "the perfect blend of East and West." With his online Arabic learning site, Mehdi goes from odd jobs in Alfortville (Val-de-Marne) to a thriving business owner in the United Arab Emirates. The call to prayer resounds in the full Marina, a district of Dubai. "Here, there are prayer rooms everywhere, even in the shopping mall. I no longer have to wonder if I will find a mosque somewhere." In France, Mehdi had to "catch up on all the prayers of the day" after work. "Spiritually, you don’t feel good," he says.

Just like Medhi, Idriss, a Franco-Tunisian also lives in Dubai. Tunisian through his father and French through his mother, he was raised in a house in Seine-et-Marne "facing the HLM." At 19, Idriss, with a BTS in international business, leaves for France with the "desire to bite the world." He spends 15 years there. In 2019, he and his wife, and their children settle in Dubai. The sculptor has no plans to return to France. "I love it. But that doesn’t mean I don’t see its flaws. [...] Arabs are no longer in vogue in France. It’s no secret. Until France 98, it was fine. It’s more complicated since the September 11 attacks..." he says.

"Here (Dubai), my children are free to do what they want as Muslims. If they fast during Ramadan, no one will make a remark to them," rejoices Idriss. "For me, human rights is being able to work, eat and build a home. It’s the possibility of having a car without it being scratched, that my wife can walk in the street without fear of being attacked, that my children are safe. Maybe we can’t criticize and say bad things all the time here. But we’re doing well," he sums up.