Keylor in La Razon on Terrorism in France
William Keylor, Professor of International Relations and History at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, was recently interviewed on the effect of terrorism on the current political situation in France.
Keylor was quoted in a July 20, 2016 article in La Razon, entitled “Hollande Tightens State of Emergency.”
From the text of the interview:
Marine Le Pen, the leader of the extreme right wing party Front National (FN), has gained support after each terrorist attack in France, because of her (and her party’s) unrelenting warnings that France is in danger of being engulfed by radical Islam. The FN appeals to the fears of French people that the country’s republican secularist traditions are under threat, both from Muslims at home and ISIS abroad.
The popularity of the FN is the result not only of the recent terrorist attacks, but also because Great Britain’s vote to leave the European Union bolsters the FN’s longstanding demand that France pull out of the European Union. The presidential election of 2017 will test the FN’s popularity.
France has the largest Muslim population in Europe, but its Muslim citizens have had a difficult time assimilating in French society, for various reasons. This has led a small minority of French Muslims to identify with the jihadist ideology.
Keylor served four consecutive terms as Chairman of the Department of History at Boston University (1988-2000) and has been Director of the International History Institute since 1999. At Boston University, he has received the Metcalf Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Methodist Scholar-Teacher Award. Learn more about him here.