Dounia Bouzar facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dounia Bouzar
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Dounia Bouzar in 2016
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Dominique Hélène Bouzar
9 February 1964 |
| Nationality | French |
| Occupation | Anthropologist |
Dominique Hélène Bouzar (born 9 February 1964), known as Dounia Bouzar, is a French anthropologist, writer, and educator. An anthropologist studies human societies and cultures. Dounia Bouzar has worked to help people in France better understand and accept Muslims, especially Muslim women. She has held important positions where she helped promote understanding, even when her ideas didn't always match what the government wanted.
About Dounia Bouzar
Dounia Bouzar was born in Grenoble, France. Her father was Algerian, and her mother was French. She didn't finish high school but later passed an exam that allowed her to go to university.
In 1991, after studying with the French Red Cross, she became an educator for the PJJ (Judiciary Youth Protection). This organization helps young people who are in trouble with the law. She continued her studies and earned a master's degree in education in 1999.
Dounia grew up in a non-religious family. When she was 27, she became a Muslim. In 2001, she started writing books about Islam. One of her books, L'une voilée, l'autre pas (One Veiled, One Not), led to her being chosen for the French Council of the Muslim Faith in 2003. This council works on issues important to Muslims in France. She left two years later because she felt the council wasn't focusing enough on key problems.
Instead, she decided to study how Islam fits into French society. In 2006, she published a book called Quelle éducation face au radicalisme? (What Education in the Face of Radicalism?). This book earned her an award from the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences.
In 2005, Time magazine named her a "Hero of the Year." She told the magazine that French Muslims should define themselves, not just let politicians or religious leaders do it. She also spoke out against banning the headscarf, saying it would take away Muslim women's freedom to choose.
In 2013, the Prime Minister of France asked Dounia Bouzar to join the Observatoire de la laïcité (Secularism Observatory). This group looks at how secularism (the idea of separating religion from government) works in France. She had written books on this topic, like Allah, mon boss et moi (Allah, My Boss and Me). She suggested that France should replace two Christian holidays with Yom Kippur (for Jewish people) and Eid (for Muslims).
Helping Young People Avoid Radicalism
In 2014, Dounia Bouzar started a group called the Centre for the Prevention of Sectarian Excesses Related to Islam. She created this center to help young French people who were being drawn to join groups like ISIS in Syria. At first, the French government's Ministry of the Interior supported her center.
However, in 2016, Dounia Bouzar decided to make her organization completely independent. This happened because the French government wanted to change some laws about French nationality. She felt it was important for her center to work on its own, without government ties.
Awards and Recognition
Dounia Bouzar has received several important awards for her work.
- In 2009, she was honored as a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques. This award recognizes people who have made great contributions to French culture and education.
- In 2014, she was made a knight of the Legion of Honour. This is one of France's highest awards, given for outstanding service to the country.
