Nice aftermath: A 'dangerous' Tunisian neighbourhood opens up
A settlement in the north-eastern part of Nice, Ariane today is home to a large number of immigrants, majority of them Muslims and within that, a significant chunk from Tunisia.
From raised-eyebrows to words like 'sensitive', 'dangerous' and 'better avoided', a conversation about visiting L'Ariane is seldom complete without such advisories.
A settlement in the north-eastern part of Nice, Ariane today is home to a large number of immigrants, majority of them Muslims and within that, a significant chunk from Tunisia. That is the country where 31-year-old Mohammed Bouhlel, whose actions on July 14 plunged France into shock and mourning, was born and lived until he reached the French shores.
Ariane's record with crime, shootings and the resultant tension makes it what it is.
From the bus stop, upon arriving, the facade of the settlement felt like there was no one in it. From an odd balcony in the apartments all around you'd see someone staring down blankly. On the street, only occasionally would one spot an old woman, a child, an old man and rarely, a young individual. Most women covered their head with scarves.
A hookah joint, some paces away, had three customers.
Even though the men, most of them middle-aged, had a lot to say, say they did not. They did not even want to be 'identified'. One of them said, "Speaking before journalists only makes matters worse." Someone asked what our religion was and whether I was a Muslim.
After taking in several, long explanations of the above-mentioned variety, a strong voice called us out from a restaurant we'd left behind. A tall young man was willing to identify himself and speak to us.
A construction worker, Abdel Qader was his name. On July 14, his cousin had gone to witness the fireworks when Bouhlel's truck came hurtling towards them. He only had time to push aside his young daughter, Abdel recounted. His mother did not make it out of the trucker's rage. "I used to drive trucks and can't come to terms with how the police could not barricade the street effectively," he said. He complained that the 'atmosphere in France' didn't let them grieve though victims they were. He believed Muslims in other European countries were better off. "Four out of ten youngsters here, in my locality, have no jobs," he added.
A young mother taking her daughter out met us on the way. She too expressed her fears about the backlash. "My headscarf makes my identity clear and just yesterday I faced abuse while out with my daughter," she said. Immediately behind was Nasiyah Awafi, a Tunisian settler who arrived on French soil as a five-year-old. "Tomorrow may not be as good as yesterday for people like us. My daughter is growing up and it worries me because discrimination is going to increase."
It was time for the afternoon prayers.
An old man walked up to open the local mosque. Inside we met Momosi P Rahim, another Tunisian expatriate. Wearing a colourful cap, I claimed, "I am an open-minded Muslim. And a large majority is so. Groups like Daesh (Islamic State) have a standing with a miniscule segment. As for Bouhlel, I won't call him a Muslim. He was a crazy, crazy man."
Prayers done, the street was back to being a deserted one. An occasional bus would pass as a reminder of the other, more happening part of French Riviera, the old town in Nice. Old town was also where Magamadov Ramzan was. As the president of the 'Union des Musulmans', he told us he was the leader of Chechen Muslims in Nice. In a text message, he said, "Community was ready to help and be available to the country in whatever way it was needed".
Findings of a Pew Research effort showed as of 2010, France had close to 4.7 million Muslims - the highest in Western Europe, comprising nearly 7.5 per cent of the total population. Nearly three million out of this came from former French colonies of Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco.
France and Tunisia have a strange connect when it comes to terrorism. New York-based The Soufan Group (TSG) which has been tracking the presence of foreign fighters operating in Iraq and Syria said in a report published last December that the number of fighters from Western Europe had 'more than doubled' since June 2014. The top contributor was France, it identified, wherefrom nearly 1700 men had travelled out. It also identified Tunisia as the single biggest, global contributor of able-bodied men to the civil war with over 6000 cases.
Meanwhile, the bus began its journey back into the old town. A slaughter house crossed, next was building 62, Rue De Turin. Some heads turned towards that building. "Bouhlel's house," whispered a passenger.
- Writer is a senior special correspondent with India Today TV and tweets @@jrpur
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