Category Archives: Secular

French council sacks summer camp workers for observing Ramadan fast

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Jacques BourgoinFrance’s main Muslim body yesterday angrily condemned a town council’s decision to sack four summer camp workers for fasting during Ramadan as “arbitrary and discriminatory.”

The four workers, who had been employed temporarily by the town of Gennevilliers in the Paris suburbs to help run a sports camp in southwestern France, were dismissed on July 20, the first day of Ramadan, after being told they were endangering children’s safety by not eating or drinking between dawn and dusk.

They are now planning to contest their dismissal through France’s labour courts and the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) said Tuesday it was considering suing Gennevilliers council for discrimination.

In a statement, the Communist mayor of Gennevilliers [Jacques Bourgoin, pictured] defended the decision to suspend the employees on health and safety grounds after an official who visited the camp noticed that they were not eating or drinking at lunchtime.

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Bill Maher defends Geert Wilders, claims ‘moderate Muslims’ advocate violence

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The Colorado Springs Independent has an interview with US talk show host Bill Maher. He is asked why he featured Geert Wilders in his religion-mocking film Religulous – “wouldn’t your hatred for racist xenophobes trump your hatred of religion?” Maher replies that he sees no contradiction:

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The French minister for women has let down Muslim voters

Posted on by Bob Pitt

After the election of a Socialist government, and the appointment of a Muslim of North African heritage – Najat Vallaud-Belkacem – as minister for women’s rights, France’s Muslim community might have hoped for a reversal of Nicolas Sarkozy’s policy of pandering to Islamophobia, and in particular an overturn of the notorious “burqa ban”. So far they have been disappointed, writes Nabila Ramdani.

Comment is Free, 16 July 2012

French Football Federation bans hijab despite green light from FIFA

Posted on by Bob Pitt

FFF logoThe French Football Federation (FFF) said Friday that it would “not authorise players to wear a veil” while playing for France or in organised competitions, a day after world footballing authorities said the hijab could be worn on the pitch.

“Regarding the participation of female French national team players in international competitions on one hand, and the organisation of national competitions on the other, the French Football Federation reiterates its duty to respect the constitutional and legislative principles of secularism that prevails in our country and features in its statutes,” declared a statement from the FFF.

The FFF’s announcement came after a French MP had urged the government earlier on Friday to ban the Islamic headscarf for women soccer players.

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New study of Islamic headscarf controversy

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Headscarf ControversyThe most controversial article of clothing of the early 21st century may be the headscarf.

In her new book, The Headscarf Controversy: Secularism and Freedom of Religion, UCSB professor Hilal Elver tackles the issue currently affecting Muslim women – and courtrooms – around the world.

Elver, a global and international studies scholar, explains the legal and historical background of wearing headscarves in public places, specifically in Turkey but also in Germany, France, and the United States.

Elver believes that due to the recent “war on terror” in the Middle East, many Western countries have banned public use of the headscarf, supposedly in the name of women’s rights. But rather than helping women, she argues, the ban has had the disastrous effect of excluding pious Muslim women from society.

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Pat Condell acquires another admirer

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Pat Condell Bare Naked Islam

Pat Condell, the National Secular Society’s favourite comedian (he has been repeatedly nominated for their Secularist of the Year award, although he has yet to win it) has long had a fan base among the Islamophobic right in the United States. He has recently acquired a new admirer. It’s none other than Bonni Benstock-Intall of the hate site Bare Naked Islam, which achieved notoriety last year for its promotion of violence against Muslims and attacks on mosques. Over the past year or so Bare Naked Islam has repeatedly posted Condell’s videos and hailed him as a fellow anti-Muslim bigot.

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Sam Harris advocates profiling Muslims

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith and leading proponent of the “New Atheism”, has a piece on his blog advocating racial and religious profiling by airport security:

“We should profile Muslims, or anyone who looks like he or she could conceivably be Muslim, and we should be honest about it…. Needless to say, a devout Muslim should be free to show up at the airport dressed like Osama bin Laden, and his wives should be free to wear burqas. But if their goal is simply to travel safely and efficiently, wouldn’t they, too, want a system that notices people like themselves?”

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Paris: Muslim school pupil is sent home because her long skirt ‘conveyed religious values’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A secondary school student near Paris was accused of wearing provocative clothing and sent back home. The school thought her skirt was too long, and conveyed religious values.

“Other students come dressed up as hippies or goths and nobody says anything,” the girl, Khadija, told the French daily Le Parisien, “but I’m not even allowed to wear a gypsy skirt.”

“If I had come to school wearing a veil I would have understood their reaction,” says Khadija, who is a student at the Edmond-Rostand secondary school at Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône near Paris.

On Monday, Khadija was sent home from school for wearing a long skirt that according to the school conveyed religious values.

“It was a beautiful day, I wore a long skirt,” says Khadija, “the headmistress told me I was being provocative and sent me home.”

The Local, 29 March 2012

Via Islam in Europe