Religion
France: Veil flouts secular principles says mosque chief
Paris, 23 June (AKI) - French president Nicolas Sarkozy's rejection of the burka and the face veil are "in keeping with the republican spirit of secularism," according to the rector of the Grand Mosque in Paris, Dalil Boubakeur, quoted by media.
Boubakeur said he supported a proposal by French MPs for a panel of deputies to look at the wearing of the burka "on the condition that they listen to what the experts on Islam have to say".
The burka marked "a return towards Islam's past, in line with the preaching and vision of fundamentalists" added Boubakeur (photo).
But he also said many women chose to wear a full-body covering as a way of asserting their Muslim identity in host societies they felt were hostile to any kind of Islamic headscarf.
In a speech he gave at the Palace of Versailles on Monday, Sarkozy said that the burka or head-to-toe Islamic garment for women was not a religious symbol but one of oppression.
"The burka is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience," he told members of both parliamentary houses gathered for his speech.
Sarkozy's comments followed an appeal last week by 65 French MPs for a parliamentary commission to examine whether Muslim women who cover themselves fully in public undermine the secular tradition in France as well as women's rights.
France's housing minister Fadela Amara, a Muslim-born women's rights campaigner, weighed into the debate saying "we must do everything to stop burkas from spreading, in the name of democracy, of the republic, of respect for women."
"The worrying thing is that we are seeing more and more of them," she said, describing the burka as "a kind of tomb for women."
But the head of the official French Council for the Muslim Religion (CFCM), Mohammed Moussaoui, insisted full-body veils remain a rare exception among France's Muslim community, Europe's largest.
An inquiry by a French parliamentary commission would be "a way of stigmatising Islam and the Muslims of France," he said.
Moussaoui's view was shared by Ahmed Jallah, head of the European Institute of Humanities in Paris, who said he was "stunned" by Sarkozy's comments.
Amid intense public debate, a 2004 law outlawed religious symbols in French schools. These included the Islamic veil, Sikh turbans, prominent Christian crosses and Jewish Stars of David.
Youths in high-immigrant areas of France's inner cities rioted for several weeks in 2005, after two youths were electrocuted in the northern Parisian suburb of Clichy-Sous-Bois during a police pursuit.
Analysts say high unemployment, poor public services and overcrowding in schools were some of the root causes of the problems plaguing the economically deprived suburbs of Paris and other major French cities.
Boubakeur said he supported a proposal by French MPs for a panel of deputies to look at the wearing of the burka "on the condition that they listen to what the experts on Islam have to say".
The burka marked "a return towards Islam's past, in line with the preaching and vision of fundamentalists" added Boubakeur (photo).
But he also said many women chose to wear a full-body covering as a way of asserting their Muslim identity in host societies they felt were hostile to any kind of Islamic headscarf.
In a speech he gave at the Palace of Versailles on Monday, Sarkozy said that the burka or head-to-toe Islamic garment for women was not a religious symbol but one of oppression.
"The burka is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience," he told members of both parliamentary houses gathered for his speech.
Sarkozy's comments followed an appeal last week by 65 French MPs for a parliamentary commission to examine whether Muslim women who cover themselves fully in public undermine the secular tradition in France as well as women's rights.
France's housing minister Fadela Amara, a Muslim-born women's rights campaigner, weighed into the debate saying "we must do everything to stop burkas from spreading, in the name of democracy, of the republic, of respect for women."
"The worrying thing is that we are seeing more and more of them," she said, describing the burka as "a kind of tomb for women."
But the head of the official French Council for the Muslim Religion (CFCM), Mohammed Moussaoui, insisted full-body veils remain a rare exception among France's Muslim community, Europe's largest.
An inquiry by a French parliamentary commission would be "a way of stigmatising Islam and the Muslims of France," he said.
Moussaoui's view was shared by Ahmed Jallah, head of the European Institute of Humanities in Paris, who said he was "stunned" by Sarkozy's comments.
Amid intense public debate, a 2004 law outlawed religious symbols in French schools. These included the Islamic veil, Sikh turbans, prominent Christian crosses and Jewish Stars of David.
Youths in high-immigrant areas of France's inner cities rioted for several weeks in 2005, after two youths were electrocuted in the northern Parisian suburb of Clichy-Sous-Bois during a police pursuit.
Analysts say high unemployment, poor public services and overcrowding in schools were some of the root causes of the problems plaguing the economically deprived suburbs of Paris and other major French cities.
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