Category Archives: France

French court bars Muslim woman from wearing headscarf, judge insults her faith

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Collectif contre l’islamophobie en France reports on the disgraceful treatment of a Muslim woman in Béziers who attended a court hearing over the custody of her child.

She was told by a police officer that that she would have to remove her headscarf out of respect for the judge, by order of the court, otherwise the hearing would take place in her absence. When she tried to enter the courtroom wearing a headband rather than a scarf she was barred by the clerk who told her “no, no, veils are prohibited” and made her remove the headband before she was allowed in.

During the hearing the judge told the woman that she was a “bad mother” because she had allowed her son to convert to Islam, which the judge described as “an act of barbarism towards children”, adding “don’t tell me that the Muslim religion is better than any other religion”. Despite the evidence that the child wanted to remain with his mother the judge stated that it was not for the child to “choose and lay down the law in this court”.

The CCIF has condemned the the court’s treatment of the young woman and has called on the minister of justice to take disciplinary action against the judge.

Arson attack on French mosque

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Tarare mosque arsonLe Progrès reports on an arson attack on a mosque in Tarare. Petrol was poured outside the front door of the mosque and set alight, but the fire doors were able to contain the blaze.

A few months ago the letters “FN” – the initials of the far-right Front National – were painted on the mosque’s wall. ”

Graffiti, arson. And what will it be next?” the mosque secretary asked. “A small bomb?”

British couple challenge French veil ban

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A Muslim husband and wife are using a British legal team to launch a landmark human rights challenge to the French ban on face-covering veils.

The couple are taking the French government to the European Court of Human Rights over its prohibition on wearing the niqab and burka in a case of importance across the European Union. They are seeking damages and a ruling that the ban on the full-face veil is “unnecessary, disproportionate and unlawful”. They also contend the blanket ban restricts their right to free movement across the EU.

The husband is a French national living with his wife and two children in the West Midlands. They are being represented by Robina Shah from the Birmingham-based Immigration Advisory Service, who has lodged their application with the human rights court in Strasbourg, and barrister Ramby de Mello.

Ms Shah said: “The case clearly is of importance to my clients. As a result of the ban they have had to leave their country of nationality, as the ban restricts their freedom of choice, and that of their daughters.”

The couple wish to remain anonymous, saying there is “considerable hostility” in both the UK and France to Muslim women who go fully veiled in public.

Asian Image, 9 June 2011

French hold anti-racism rallies

Posted on by Bob Pitt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw5OeoHWEr8

Rallies were held across France to protest what many say is the continued scapegoating of Muslims and immigrants for political gain. In Paris, thousands marched under many different banners, but they all spoke of feeling excluded from French society.

A large contingent of the demonstration consisted of immigrants who have worked in France for years, even decades, without acquiring resident status. This makes it difficult for them to rent lodgings or get medical care and it leaves them vulnerable to exploitation from their employers.

Since his appointment in February, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppé has been the point man in the Sarkozy administration’s desire to keep their “national identity” campaign in the media. Recent decisions such as the burqa law, debates on the role of Islam in France and the deportation of Tunisian immigrants have been condemned by many as purposely divisive.

With unemployment and social insecurity still high as France tries to exit the Great Recession, the message here is that foreigners will not tolerate being used as a distraction.

Many protesters here say that the conservative wing of the nation’s establishment simply refuses to accept that Africans and Arabs are already a part of 21st century France. To quote a popular slogan here at the demonstration: “Besides, we’re already here!”

Press TV, 28 May 2011

Muslims replacing Jews as Europe’s scapegoat, says Tariq Ramadan

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Tariq RamadanMuslims in Europe have replaced the continent’s Jews of yesteryear as the largest target of discrimination and prejudice, according to a prominent Swiss academic and Islamic expert.

“There are new alliances in Europe against the Muslim presence, and people who were against Judaism are now against the Muslim presence in Europe,” Tariq Ramadan, an Oxford professor and grandson of Hasan al-Banna, the founder of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, said Friday at a seminar at Istanbul Bilgi University.

“[These discriminatory European attitudes] are not only about Islamism; they are about a power struggle. It is not integrated into people’s minds that Islam is also a Western religion,” Ramadan said, criticizing the attitudes of some Europeans he described as “Islamophobic”.

“People like the head of France’s far-right National Front Party, Marine Le Pen, and Dutch politician Geert Wilders are imposing the politics of fear against Islam and this is very dangerous,” the academic said. He added that what lies beneath the growing anti-Islamism in Europe is the changing demographics of the continent’s Muslim population.

“The more Muslims become European, the more Islam becomes a problem for Europeans,” Ramadan said.

Hürriyet Daily News, 22 May 2011

Islamophobia discussed in London conference

Posted on by Bob Pitt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY7Xialu_-8

She may be a criminal in the eyes of French law, but here at a London conference on Islamophobia, Kenza Drider was welcomed as a champion of women’s rights.

Last month, as a French citizen, she made a public stand against France’s new law outlawing the wearing of the niqab or face veil. She’s been arrested twice, but has refused on principle to pay the fine.

She was one of many speakers at a conference on the spread of anti-Muslim hatred across Europe. Academics and activists have noted a change in social interaction as fears of abuse and attacks grew.

There have been many instances of violence against Muslims across Europe. One case which highlights the consequences of leaving Islamophobia unchecked is the story of Marwa Sherbini, now known as the hijab martyr. She was killed after being stabbed 18 times by a man who’d called her a terrorist.

Doctor Robert Lambert has been investigating attacks on Muslims for a decade. He says politicians could do far more to combat the problem. But there was also recognition that bridges had been built across groups and communities in the UK, particularly in London, that strengthened resistance to rise of the far right.

And so while there has been progress in terms of recognising Islamophobia, the threat of anti-Muslim hatred remains serious. The feeling here is that the attitudes of European governments must change first before European societies can deal with the problem, and stave off the increasing incidents of violence against Muslims and the growing prospect of isolated communities.

Press TV, 21 May 2011

See also “Activists condemn Islamophobia”, Daily Mirror, 21 May 2011

French mosque covered in racist and fascist graffiti

Posted on by Bob Pitt

El Hijra mosque

Le Progrès reports that the walls of the El-Hijra mosque in Champagnole were covered with swastikas and slogans such as “Death to Arabs” and “France for the French” on Saturday night. In thirty of existence the mosque had never had to face this kind of aggression or experienced any particular problems in connection with its activities. The association that manages the mosque and the mayor have both filed complaints.

Via Islam in Europe

Far-right anti-Islam protestors in Lyon outnumbered by counter-demonstrators

Posted on by Bob Pitt

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAFP reports that nearly 500 far-right activists gathered in Lyon today to protest against halal meat and the “Islamisation of France”.

The Bloc Identitaire had originally intended to hold a “March of the Pigs” through the city but after that had been banned they had to settle for a static “rally for freedom” instead. Bloc Identitaire president Fabrice Robert told the protestors that “Islamisation is a reality in France” while the crowd chanted “Islam out of Europe”, threw smoke bombs and vandalised a kebab restaurant.

They were outnumbered by left-wing counter-demonstrators, variously estimated at between 800 and 2,500, who raised the slogan “Fascism is gangrene” and called for economic and social equality.

The English Defence League proudly announced that its representatives would be joining the “Marche des cochons”, in order to “support our French brothers in the defence of French culture”, evidently unaware that the march had been called off.

There were reportedly five EDL members at the demo. They told Lyon Info that they were there to defend democracy, freedom of expression and the French way of life, “without really knowing what it is”. They did know the British way of life, though, an EDL representative pointed out. And anyway “we’re all Christians”.

It appears that the British far right share another central feature of their culture with their French counterparts. Lyon Info reports that only 2-300 Bloc Identitaire activists actually made it to the rally. The rest were to be found in the neighbourhood bars.

Update:  The EDL states that two of its representatives have been arrested in Lyon, including EDL leader Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.

Further update:  Le Progrès reports that 80 far-right activists were arrested after causing criminal damage and chanting Nazi slogans. Clearly the EDL were in good company.

One more update:  The EDL admins have now removed the thread on Lennon’s arrest from their Facebook page. That decision might not be unconnected with the posting of comments like this:

The entire thread has however been screengrabbed by Exposing racism and intolerance online. See here, here, here and here.

How the French veil ban is being implemented

Posted on by Bob Pitt

In France, one month after the start of the nation’s burka ban, women wearing face-covering garments are being forced to remove their veil in public to avoid police harassment.

Five women were immediately detained by police for wearing the burka on city streets as they attempted to attend a conference on the effects of the law. The organizer of the conference was forcibly removed after he tried to talk to one of the women, who had become ill during questioning.

The conference was organized by the multicultural association Don’t Touch My Constitution. The group has raised funds to help women pay the 150-euro fine the law calls for, but they say they haven’t spent one cent.

Proponents of the law say the ban protects the country from religious radicalism, as well as France’s principle of secularism, or laicite in French.

Many Muslims have complained that French media coverage consistently ignores the religious convictions of those who wear the burka. Instead, the women are portrayed as mere tools, with domineering men controlling their every move.

The law, which was roundly criticized by police organizations, may not have led to mass arrests, but Muslim groups say they must provide a voice for the many women who have refused to leave the house for fear of embarrassment.

People say the French government is applying the law carefully, but unevenly. It seems they’re largely ignoring the heavily Muslim suburbs, but it also seems that police can still make a big show when they feel it’s necessary.

Press TV, 11 May 2011

See also the New York Times which reports the French Interior Ministry as stating that police have stopped 46 women wearing face-veils in public, 27 of whom have been charged and will be fined about $215 or forced to take an official course on citizenship.