Security for the Pope: In a Violent and Rebellious World

7. Global Youth Shockwaves

109 7 Global Youth Shockwaves In this chapter we deal with an important issue about young people in society. Youth through adolescence is the most active stage in human life. It is at this stage of life when world records are won, academic achievements are registered, life engagements and enduring life friendships are forged. As such young people may prove to be very instrumental in vitalizing any society, but when left without attention, the youth out of desperation may easily become destructive. The sub title of this book describes the world today as violent and rebellious. This is a reality as one looks at contemporary uprisings of the youth in Europe and the Middle East, and especially at the violent demonstrations and protests against world leaders. The G-8 meetings are usually accompanied by the clash between riot police and demonstrators, and some of the clashes are so severe that they cause bloodshed. There is a global rebellion of young people against the head of states and autocratic leadership. The new climate of rebellion raises concern about the security of heads of states, and in this case the Pope as the head of the State as well. We now look at what has been behind these protests and what the Church is doing. Youth Uprising and Security Concern In recent years, the world has been following with dismay the wide spread rebellion by youth against states, in many countries from Europe to other parts in the world. This has been prompted by the frustration caused by the way the governments forget young people and plunge them into the state of hopelessness. 110 Volcanic Youth Turbulence in France (2005) The uprising of the youth in North Africa and the Arab world has dominated the media coverage for months now. This has resulted in forgetting that the unrest started in Europe. Now it is extending to other parts of the world. In France, as in the Arab world, the young people direct their anger toward politicians. One should recall that during the presidential election in 2002, which resulted into Jacques Chirac’s re-election, the right-wing politician, Jean-Marie Le Pen, caused anger among Muslim immigrants due to his anti-foreigners campaign that won him second place in the results of the election, behind Jacques Chirac. His address to the French public which turned out to listen to his election campaigns were unapologetically anti-Muslim (see Juergensmeyer 2008:169). In February 2004, France adopted a law which did not allow citizens to wear ostentatious religious symbols in public schools. The country banned “conspicuous religious symbols” in public places. The law arbitrarily forbade the nationals to display large jewellery crosses and Jewish skullcaps in court rooms, administration and other government buildings, as well as in institutes of learning. As to the Muslim families, the law was taken negatively as aiming at the Muslim schoolgirls from wearing KLMDE. The subsequent debate centred on the wearing of headscarf (or KLMDE) by Muslim girls, although it also extends to Sikh boys who have been asked not to wear turbans. The controversy surrounding these religious symbols strikes at the heart of the dilemma for the French government of trying to integrate religious populations into secular society. Many Muslim young people of Maghreb originate from Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia felt discriminated against and had less opportunity for jobs. The basis for this complain is that for the new generation of Maghreb women born in France and who have attended French schools, many of them wear these religious symbols out of their own free will. They have the option to wear headscarf for example, not because the fathers, husbands, male friends or even religious leaders have told them to do so. Many of them seek to express their idea of being 111 emancipated, of being a new generation of women who make their own decision about what to wear and how to present themselves in public. Given such situation, a simply banning of religious symbols may be seen as denying women their right to free will and choice. The grievances of the youth erupted in France in 2005. There was a nationwide rioting by African and Arab youth in cities like Marseilles, Montpellier, Lyon, etc, where tyres were burned, shops destroyed, and cars set on fire. The week long turmoil shook the French community, and unveiled the tension which existed between different communities. Young people, angry...