Category Archives: France

Mayor’s human rights adviser meets opponents of hijab ban in Paris

Posted on by Bob Pitt

On the first anniversary of the ban on the wearing of the Muslim headscarf in French schools, Yasmin Qureshi, the Mayor of London’s human rights adviser, is to visit Paris to meet opponents of the ban.

The visit follows a new poll conducted by MORI for the Greater London Authority which found that 53 percent of Londoners disagree with the ban with just 33 per cent supporting it.

In the same poll 63 percent said that children should be allowed to wear clothing or items that are part of their religion, such as the Muslim headscarf, Christian cross, Jewish skullcap and Sikh turban at school. Only 26 per cent disagreed.

Ms Qureshi will be in Paris to meet with faith, community, and human rights organisations as well as French local government representatives campaigning against the ban.  Among the groups she will be visiting are Collectif des Musulmans de France, United Sikhs and Ligue des Droits de l’Homme.

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Protect Hijab vows to continue campaigning against the hijab ban

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“March 15th 2005 marks the first anniversary of the French Government’s decision to ban ‘religious symbols’. Since last year we have witnessed the oppression of an entire segment of the French society, namely, hundreds of Hijab wearing young Muslim women who have been forcibly excluded from schools by this draconian law. This open discrimination by France and other European countries is an unacceptable position for states that are party to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and makes a mockery of the French declaration of ‘Liberté, egalité, fraternité …’.”

Protect Hijab press release, 15 March 2005

Daniel Pipes backs Le Pen

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Daniel Pipes, considered by many Muslims to be America’s leading Islamophobe, recently expressed support for French far-right racist Jean-Marie Le Pen. On his web site, Pipes said Le Pen’s extremist views “represent an important outlook in the national debate over immigration and Islam“.

An appeals court in France recently upheld Le Pen’s conviction for inciting anti-Muslim hatred in a newspaper interview. Le Pen has been convicted of racism or anti-Semitism at least six times in the past.

See: Far-right leader’s conviction upheld

CAIR news report, 4 March 2004

Far-right leader’s conviction upheld

Posted on by Bob Pitt

An appeals court upheld the conviction of Jean-Marie Le Pen, the French far-right leader, yesterday for racist remarks against Muslims made in a newspaper interview.

Le Pen, leader of the National Front party, was ordered to pay a £6900 fine for inciting racial hatred in comments in Le Monde newspaper two years ago.

Le Pen has been convicted of racism or anti-Semitism at least six times. He blames immigrants, especially those from North Africa, for high unemployment and wants to deport all illegal immigrants.

In the interview, Le Pen urged the French to beware of “the day in France when we have 25 million Muslims, not five million” – the estimated population of Muslims in France.

The appeals court in Paris said such comments could incite hatred. “In denouncing such a threat, Jean-Marie Le Pen tends to stir in the reader a feeling of hostility and rejection toward Muslims depicted as dominators,” the written ruling stated.

Associated Press, 25 February 2005

In defence of secularism: Religion must be pushed back

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“I would like to say that the proposed legislation in France banning conspicuous religious symbols in state schools and institutions is essential and an important step forward in the defence of secularism and women’s and children’s rights, but it is not enough. We have to go further.”

Azar Majedi of the Worker Communist Party of Iran, who evidently understands neither Marxism nor secularism, advocates state repression of religion.

See here.

France’s hijab ban triggers domino effect

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A French law banning hijab and religious insignia in state schools, which came into effect last September, has triggered a domino effect, with several ministries seeking to expand its application beyond public schools.

The Health Ministry was the latest to jump on the bandwagon, issuing a written directive on February 2 committing all hospitals to take a “neutral” position in dealing with their patients when it comes to religion. The directive, a copy of which was obtained by IslamOnline.net, provides for concealing any religious symbol in hospitals to protect the secular nature of the staff.

The ministry’s move is a grim reminder of the sacking of a hijab-garbed nurse in 2002 for refusing to take off the headscarf.

Le Figaro Magazine revealed on its Saturday’s edition that the Higher Learning and Labor ministries mull drafting similar laws banning hijab and religious symbols in state-run institutions and universities.

The magazine said that the minister of labor has already entered into talks with relevant French syndicates to ban hijab in public companies and corporations, especially those in direct touch with the lay people. It added that the minister admitted the difficulties of amending the existing labor laws, but said work contracts can include an item obliging female employees to take off their hijab inside the workplace.

The weekly further disclosed that some universities have banned students from wearing religious symbols inside campuses. A binding draft for all universities is being written to ban religious dress codes, according the magazine.

In January, a police station in Paris did not allow a group of veiled women to attend a party thrown for them for being granted French citizenship.

Islam Online, 21 February 2005

In defence of militant secularism

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“A strange alliance has arisen: from conservative members of the Muslim Association of Britain, the SWP, to London’s Mayor, all are in an uproar about ‘Islamophobia’. Ken Livingstone has taken it upon himself to criticise the French move to ban wearing ostentatious religious symbols in schools. He has also given lessons on religious freedom by defending a cleric, al-Qaradawi, who supports female genital mutilation. This bloc draws support from the mainstream of the Anglican Church and Prince Charles to, with rare exceptions, the bien-pensant pages of the Guardian.”

Andrew Coates in What Next? No.29