Ni Putes Ni Soumises (Neither Whores Nor Submissives) is a French feminist movement, founded in 2002, which has already secured the recognition of the French press and parliament. It is also the name of a book written by Fadela Amara, one of the leaders of the movement, with the help of Le Monde journalist Sylvia Zappi. Feminism is a social theory and political movement primarily informed and motivated by the experience of women. ... Jump to: navigation, search 2002 (MMII) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Press is a general term having a number of related meanings stemming from the original definition of pressing as the physical action of applying force: Things relating to Metalworking: Machine press, a machine that shapes material by the application of pressure; Flypress, a machine that cuts material by pressing with... An aerial view of Parliament of India at New Delhi. ... Le Monde is a French daily evening newspaper with a circulation in 2002 of 389,200. ...

One of 14 posters of modern Mariannes displayed in Paris, 2003; click image for caption translation.

The book cover

NPNS claims to have been set up by a group of French girls and women, tired of being harassed by boys and men in the poor suburbs (banlieues) and housing projects (cités) of cities such as Paris, Lyon and Toulouse, where rape and violence towards women is all too common. Download high resolution version (530x674, 59 KB)One of 14 posters of a modern Marianne (the symbol of the French Republic). ... Download high resolution version (530x674, 59 KB)One of 14 posters of a modern Marianne (the symbol of the French Republic). ... Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Download high resolution version (790x1261, 172 KB) Summary Cover of Ni Putes Ni Soumises Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links Download high resolution version (790x1261, 172 KB) Summary Cover of Ni Putes Ni Soumises Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Public housing describes a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ... City motto: Avant, avant, Lion le melhor. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Capitole, the 18th century city hall of Toulouse and best known landmark in the city; in the foreground is the Place du Capitole, a hub of urban life at the very center of the city Toulouse (pronounced in standard French, in local Toulouse accent) (Occitan...

The slogan used by the movement is meant both to shock and mobilise. They particularly protest against changes of attitudes toward women due to allegedly rising radical Islam in those French suburbs that are mostly inhabited by immigrants from the Maghreb and other parts of Africa. A particular matter of concern is the treatment of Muslim women, who are pressured into wearing veils, leaving school, and getting married early. Nevertheless, the movement represents women of all faiths and ethnic origins, all of whom may find themselves trapped by poverty and the ghettoisation of the cités. Jump to: navigation, search Islam â–¶(?) (Arabic: الإسلام al-islām) the submission to God is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions and the worlds second-largest religion. ... Jump to: navigation, search (see also North Africa, Tamazgha, Arab Maghreb Union, Mashreq) The Maghreb (المغرب العربي ; sometimes also rendered Moghreb), meaning western in Arabic, is the region of the continent of Africa north of the Sahara desert and west of the Nile - specifically, the modern countries of Morocco, Western Sahara (annexed... // Etymology World map showing Africa (geographically) The name Africa came into Western use through the Romans, who used the name Africa terra — land of the Afri (plural, or Afer singular) — for the northern part of the continent, as the province of Africa with its capital Carthage, corresponding to modern-day... Jump to: navigation, search A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) is an adherent of Islam. ... Jump to: navigation, search A ghetto is an area where people from a specific ethnic background or united in a given culture or religion live as a group, voluntarily or involuntarily, in milder or stricter seclusion. ...

A translation of the key points of NPNS's national appeal on their official website [1]:

• No more moralising: our condition has worsened. The media and politics have done nothing, or very little, for us.
• No more wretchedness. We are fed up with people speaking for us, with being treated with contempt.
• No more justifications of our oppression in the name of the right to be different and of respect toward those who force us to bow our heads.
• No more silence in public debates about violence, poverty and discrimination.

Two high-profile cases gave a particular impetus to NPNS during 2003. The first was that of Samira Bellil who published a book called Dans l'enfer des tournantes ("In Gang Rape Hell") in which she recounts her life as a girl under la loi des cités (the law of the housing projects) where she was gang raped on more than one occasion, the first time at age 13, afraid to speak out, and ultimately seen only as a sexual object, alienated and shunned by her family and some of her friends. The second case was that of 17-year-old Sohanne Denziane who was burned alive by her ex-boyfriend. Samira Bellil (November 24, 1972 - September 7, 2004) was a French campaigner for the rights of Muslim girls and women. ...

Both of these were fresh in the minds of the members of Ni Putes Ni Soumises during their march through France, which started in February 2003 and took them to over 20 cities before culminating in a 30,000 strong demonstration in Paris on March 8, 2003. The march was officially called la Marche des femmes des quartiers contre les ghettos et pour l'égalité (The March of Women from the Projects against ghettoes and for equality). Representatives of Ni Putes Ni Soumises were received by French Prime Minister Jean Pierre Raffarin. Their message was also incorporated into the official celebrations of Bastille Day 2003 in Paris, when 14 giant posters each of a modern woman dressed as Marianne, the symbol of the French Republic, were hung on the columns of the Palais Bourbon, the home of the Assemblée nationale (the lower house of the French parliament). Jump to: navigation, search March 8 is the 67th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (68th in Leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 2003 (MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search Public housing or social housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. ... Jump to: navigation, search A ghetto is an area where people from a specific ethnic background or united in a given culture or religion live as a group, voluntarily or involuntarily, in milder or stricter seclusion. ... Jean-Pierre Raffarin (born August 3, 1948) is a French conservative politician. ... The Champs-Élysées decorated with flags for the 14 July. ... Jump to: navigation, search 2003 (MMIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Jump to: navigation, search Marianne busts with features of Brigitte Bardot - Catherine Deneuve - Mireille Mathieu Marianne, a national emblem of France, is a personification of Liberty and Reason. ... The Palais Bourbon, front The Palais Bourbon, a palace located in Paris, France, is the seat of the French National Assembly, the lower legislative chamber of the French government. ... The Palais Bourbon, front The French National Assembly (French: Assemblée nationale) is one of the two houses of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. ...

The Assemblée nationale decorated with all the Mariannes d'aujourd'hui

The following five propositions were accepted by the French government: The French parliament (lower house) decked out with posters of Mariannes daujourdhui (of today) during the celebrations of Bastille Day, 2003. ... The French parliament (lower house) decked out with posters of Mariannes daujourdhui (of today) during the celebrations of Bastille Day, 2003. ...

1. The publication of an educational guide dealing with respect, to be distributed in the housing projects and schools.
2. The establishment of safe houses away from the housing projects for girls and women in immediate distress, where they can be safe in relative anonymity.
3. The creation of six pilot sites where women will be able to have their voices heard.
4. The organisation of training seminars for women to develop their particular strengths.
5. Special provisions made in police stations for girls and women who have been the victims of violence.

Critics contend that the group has had difficulty securing recognition on the ground, and that it is manipulated by sections of the French Socialist Party who provide money and facilities for its activities. A safe house is a location where people may go to avoid persecution of their activities by authorities. ... The emblem of the French Socialist Party The Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste or PS), founded in 1969, is the main opposition party in France. ...

Related articles

• Feminism
• Rape
• Islam in France
• French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools
• Marianne

Jump to: navigation, search Feminism is a diverse collection of social theories, political movements, and moral philosophies, largely motivated by or concerning the experiences of women, especially in terms of their social, political, and economic situation. ... Jump to: navigation, search Islam is the second largest religion in France, with approximately 5 million adherents, after 45 million adherents to Catholicism, and before Protestantism (1 million), Buddhism (600 000), Judaism (525 000) and French Eastern Orthodoxy (150 000) (data: 2000-2003). ... Jump to: navigation, search The French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools bans students from wearing conspicuous religious symbols in French public (i. ... Jump to: navigation, search Marianne busts with features of Brigitte Bardot - Catherine Deneuve - Mireille Mathieu Marianne, a national emblem of France, is a personification of Liberty and Reason. ...

Bibliography

• BELLIL, Samira: Dans l'enfer des tournantes, Gallimard, 2003, ISBN 2070429903.
• AMARA, Fadela & ZAPPI, Sylvia: Ni putes ni soumises, La Découverte, 2003, ISBN 2707141429. Review

Éditions Gallimard is the second most important French publisher, and probably the most respected. ...

External links

• Official website (in French)
• Sexism in the Cités
• All the Mariannes d'aujourd'hui