France and National Identity

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/27/opinion/france-and-national-identity.html

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To the Editor:

Re “Jihad and the French Exception” (Op-Ed, July 21):

For a number of reasons, I find Farhad Khosrokhavar’s argument about French exceptionalism unconvincing. He argues that Islamic radicalization in French immigrant communities is largely explained by the French commitment to the universalist republican ideal.

In fact, efforts to enforce values of national identity have been growing throughout Europe.

The British have reinforced their requirements for citizenship (the former prime minister, David Cameron, called it “muscular liberalism”), while other countries — the Netherlands in particular — have strengthened their entry and citizenship requirements to reflect a newfound sense of national identity.

In this context, France is hardly exceptional. We will have to look for other explanations for why so many young men from France (and other countries in Europe) have engaged in angry terrorism.

MARTIN A. SCHAIN

New York

The writer, a professor of politics at New York University, is writing a book about the politics of borders in Europe and the United States.