French radio station takes on new role after Paris attacks

Beur FM radio station in Paris has not only become the voice of French Muslims, but also the wider community since the Charlie Hebdo terror attacks. Listeners of all walks of life tune in for answers Show more

CHARENTON-LE-PONT // It is called Beur FM – after a slang term for Arab people – and has become the voice of France's Muslim community in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks.

The radio station gives daily doses of talk, music and news, normally catering to the Muslim population.

But since terror struck the heart of Paris in January, Beur FM has become a staple for listeners of all walks of life who are hungry for answers about the violence – and how to reconcile alienated immigrants with mainstream society.

On air since 1992, the station has achieved widespread prominence only in recent months as the French turn to it for insights into what could have motivated three Frenchmen of immigrant roots to kill in the name of religion.

The station has not clocked a sharp rise in listeners – the current audience stands at about 400,000 listeners a day. However, it has seen a marked rise in retweets, Facebook likes and other social media attention following the attacks, according to marketing director Nabil Bougouss.

It is also drawing in a broader range of listeners, including Jews and other non-Muslims, he said.

Charlie Hebdo had received threats over the years for publishing caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. But few expected the spasm of violence that erupted in its offices January 7, when two brothers of Algerian origin burst in shouting "Allahu Akbar" and gunned down 11 people including the editor-in-chief.

The 12 full-time staff of Beur FM – based in the eastern suburbs of Paris – do not pretend to have the answers. But they say they are at least allowing people to ask questions and speak freely on their chat shows.

Muslim callers often grapple with thorny questions of identity – seeking ways to express revulsion at Charlie Hebdo's mockery of Islam without being seen as a Muslim fanatic.

“People still call us and say ‘I am not Charlie ... As a Muslim it grated on me, even if I am absolutely not a fundamentalist. Can I discuss it with you without being accused of fundamentalism?’” said comedian Yassine Belattar, who hosts a morning talk show.

The Beur FM programme "Islam Now" offers a Muslim take on often controversial topics that change with each broadcast. When it started, imam Abdelali Mamoun's show was only broadcast during the Ramadan holy month. It proved so popular that it is now on the air daily.

There are about 4.7 million Muslims in France, or about 7.5 per cent of the population, according to a Pew Research Center study released in January. Most of them are of North African descent.

Mamoun, an imam from the Val-de-Marne region southeast of Paris, is willing to address any issue, explaining that there is “no shame in religion, so no shame to talk about whatever subject”. Recent themes include incest and sexual abstention.

Other shows broach politics such as shrinking voter turnout and president Francoi Hollande.

After the January attacks, many other French media turned to Beur FM for answers to questions about an immigrant community that is routinely ignored.

“The role of a kind of ‘super expert’ was accorded to us when the events happened,” said Abdelkrim Branine, the station’s editor-in-chief. “The majority do not understand much, they are looking for answers, which is a good thing. The problem is that we wait for a tragedy to happen.”

* Associated Press