The West Africans in France are mostly from French colonies in Senegal, etc. that are Slamic.
Trust me, no one is overlooking the Islamist aspect of France's situation but it goes far beyond Islamism's creeping influence.
In fact, one of the problems is that these thugs are distinctly NON-Islamic in their daily lives and that more of them are turning into more 'upright' terrorists. You know the kind, like the Nation of Islam--no drugs(at least no use or sales to the faithful) and more disciplined behavior--but hatred and racism at the base of the ideology. But these Muslims in France will be much more dangerous.
I just think it's way too easy to just blame these riots and France's problems on Islam vs. the West, when I see some of these SAME cultural issues(but to a lesser extent, or at least less separated) in the US with NON-MUSLIM underclass culture.
In fact, what he describes in the Zone could just as easily be blacks or Latinos in the "inner city" and the 'extremists' who are willing to provide meaning and discipline would be like Nation of Islam types or god knows what other garbage here. (whereas in France, radical Islamist terrorist beliefs are gaining more and more adherents--as they are here.) THe intiial problem (underclass pathology, multiculti inability to confront) is not with Islam specifically. But it is Islam that will make this terrible situation become fatal for Europe.