Historian Says Napoleon's Relations With Jews Could Be Pattern For Muslims In France Today

Yesterday's International Herald Tribune carried an interesting article by historian Michael Goldfarb suggesting that the experience of Jews in Napoleonic France 200 years ago has relevance to Muslims in France today. In response to questions by Napoleon, the Jewish community opted for integration into French society-- at considerable price to the manner in which Judaism had traditionally been practiced. Goldfarb asks whether it is imaginable that French Muslims today would commit to French definitions of secularism, integration, faith and patriotism.