France
France inherited a heavy colonial past and a conception of the republic as a regime centered on the rights and duties of the citizen independently of his particular characteristics. France in the decree n°2007-376 of March 20, 2007 publishing the convention on the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions, adopted on October 20, 2005 in Paris, article 3 promotes "the protection and promotion of the diversity of cultural expressions".
In France, multiculturalism is perceived primarily from an ethnographic perspective. The conception of "multiculturality" that prevails in France is individualistic and pluralist: we admit that an individual can be diverse and changeable and we take care of the plurality of expressions and opinions. This explains France's strong commitment to the international debate on cultural diversity and the criticism that it does not apply on its territory what it advocates in international forums. The separatist law of August 24, 2021, is an example. The purpose of this law, following the murder of a teacher, is to reinforce republican principles in order to fight against separatism and attacks on citizenship.
France, thanks to the creation of the Quai Branly museum, then of the Cité nationale de l'histoire de l'immigration - and the existence of a program in favor of intercultural dialogue within the Ministry of Culture, wishes to promote cultural diversity. But there is a deep-seated reluctance in France to recognize itself as multiple. The debate on national identity is an example. In France, to mention the limits of multuculturalism is to mention the procedures and laws aimed at "stigmatizing" women of Muslim faith in this country. Indeed, the law of March 15, 2004 on religious signs in French public schools prohibits "the wearing of signs or clothing by which students ostensibly manifest a religious affiliation" in public schools, colleges and high schools. This law will be reinforced by the law n°2010-1192 of October 11, 2010 prohibiting the concealment of the face in the public space. This law has led to analyses on the politicization of the veil and the understanding of concepts such as cultural diversity, multuculturalism, assimilationism, and cultural integration in France.
Women of Muslim faith have felt the effects of the politicization of the veil in their daily lives, from multiple experiences of stigmatization to constraints (with unequal force) on revealing themselves for school or employment. In reaction to the stigmatization, many of them, especially those who were high school or university students, participated in the various demonstrations organized in Paris and in the provinces against this law, seeking to oppose the various measures to ban the veil.
In addition, the French authorities refused to repatriate the families of jihadists to France. The French government, unlike other European Union countries, repatriates isolated minors, often orphans, or minors who have obtained the consent of their mothers to be separated from their families, on a "case by case" basis.
References
No Country for Muslims? The Invention of an Islam Républicain in France and Its Impact on French Muslims
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/1/38/pdf.
This article will conceptualize the problematique of a (politically motivated) category formation related to one religion that is currently practiced in France, as seen from the perspective of a religious studies scholar.
France facing multicultural diversity: is l’intégration à la Française really in crisis ?
https://hal-sciencespo.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01037979/document
This article makes a comparison between French immigrants and native French people in order to determine if the integration process and multiculturalism make sense in this country.