I fail to see how any of this crap is anything other than polite nationalist racism/essentialism, any more than the German bloodline nonsense, the shameful referendum that got passed in Ireland recently to tighten up the citizenship-by-birth rules that were allegedly being exploited by, oh, hundreds of refugees every year. This is subversion of French anti-clericalism to an agenda of fear of Islam.

Nationalism is by definition essentialist and racist at its heart.

I guess I equated marriage with citizenship because I am currently in the same situation.  I've lived here four years now and we have an appointment at the Standesamt tomorrow to finalized the marriage paperwork.  So this kind of story perks my ears up, especially as an immigrant (albeit from the US) and a future European citizen.

I have noticed in speaking with other immigrants, that I may have had an advantage as an American of European descent over immigrants from other countries.  I have just not experienced all the hoops to jump through that others have described.  It only took me a couple of minutes to sign the necessary forms to extend my visa without any questions asked, really.  For others less fortunate, they really get put through the bureaucratic mill, so to speak.

This story simply reminds me of that.

"Schiller sprach zu Goethe, Steck in dem Arsch die Flöte! Goethe sagte zu Schiller, Mein Arsch ist kein Triller!"