A Look Back to 2012: How Marine La Pen Helped France Lurch To The Right

French Ban on Islamic Face Veil Challenged in Court

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A woman whose arrest for wearing a full veil prompted riots in France claims the ban on face coverings in public discriminates against Muslims

A woman whose arrest for wearing a full Islamic veil sparked riots in a Paris suburb on Wednesday challenged the legality of France's controversial ban on face coverings, claiming the law discriminated against Muslims.

At the start of a key trial which has thrown the spotlight on the country's attempts to protect its secular traditions, Cassandra Belin's lawyer told a Versailles court that the ban, which came into force in 2011, ran contrary to principles of religious freedom and was an offence to human dignity.

The 20-year-old Muslim convert refused to attend the hearing, her lawyer claiming she did not want to be perceived as a "symbol of rampant Islamisation". » | Hannah Strange | Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Burqa Bump: Violence Hits France as Government Fails to Draw a Line between Laws and Religion

France's secular laws have put a dent into the country's relations with its Islamic community. Recent riots and clashes with police over the ban on face covering burqas, have sparked a heated debate on whether uncontrolled mass immigration is the true cause of failing multi-culturalism.

France Struggles to Separate Islam and the State

ABC NEWS: Riots broke out over a full-face Islamic veil. A woman may have lost her unborn baby in another confrontation over her face covering. Tensions flared over a supermarket chain's ad for the end-of-day feast for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

France's enforcement of its prized secularism is inscribed in law, most recently in a ban on wearing full-face veils in public. Meant to ensure that all faiths live in harmony, the policy instead may be fueling a rising tide of Islamophobia and driving a wedge between some Muslims and the rest of the population.

Yet ardent defenders of secularism, the product of France's separation of church and state, say the country hasn't gone far enough. They want more teeth to further the cause that Voltaire helped inspire and Victor Hugo championed, this time with a law targeting headscarves in the work place.

A new generation of French Muslims — which at some 5 million, or about eight percent of the population, is the largest in Western Europe — is finding a growing voice in a nation not always ready to accommodate mosques, halal food and Muslim religious dress. Political pressure from a resurgent far-right has increased the tension. » | Elaine Ganley, Associated Press | Trappes, France | Monday, July 29, 2013

French Extreme-right Leader Marine Le Pen Faces Prosecution for Comparing Muslims to Nazis

EXPRESS: FRENCH extreme right-wing leader Marine Le Pen faces potential prosecution for comparing Muslim immigration in France as "like a Nazi occupation."

The European Parliament's legal committee recommended that the National Front leader have her protection from prosecution as an MEP revoked, which could result in her being put on trial.

The full parliament is expected to formally lift her legal immunity after a vote on the recommendation on July 3.

Le Pen sparked outrage after she slammed Muslims praying in the street in areas where there are no mosques in a speech to National Front supporters in December 2010.

"For those who like to talk about World War II, to talk about occupation, we could talk about, for once, the occupation of our territory," Le Pen told the rally.

"There are no armoured vehicles, no soldiers, but it is an occupation all the same and it weighs on people." » | Charlotte Meredith | Thursday, June 20, 2013

My comment:

Why should Marine Le Pen face prosecution for stating the obvious? It is indeed as though France had been occupied by a foreign power. During WWII it was the fascists; now it is by the Islamo-fascists. What's the difference? They are both anti-democratic, totalitarian ideologies. In my opinion, it is an outrage that Marine Le Pen cannot state what is on her mind without being liable to prosecution. Aren't people to be allowed independent thought from now on? Has political correctness taken such a hold on the weak-minded politicians in the West that stating anything other than pc platitudes is 'strengstens verboten'? – © Mark

This comment also appears here

Inter-ethnic Tension Rises in France as Natives Fear Becoming 'White Minority'
With the French economy mired in depression - unemployment figures are at their highest in a decade. ¶ And as RT's Aleksey Yaroshevsky reports the financial hardship is putting pressure on usually harmonious relationships between the immigrant community and locals.

Memo from France: More in France Are Turning to Islam, Challenging a Nation’s Idea of Itself
THE NEW YORK TIMES: CRÉTEIL, France — The spacious and elegant modern building, in the heart of this middle-class suburb of Paris, is known as “the mosque of the converts.”

Every year about 150 Muslim conversion ceremonies are performed in the snow-white structure of the Sahaba mosque in Créteil, with its intricate mosaics and a stunning 81-foot minaret, built in 2008 and a symbol of Islam’s growing presence in France. Among those who come here for Friday Prayer are numerous young former Roman Catholics, wearing the traditional Muslim prayer cap and long robe.

While the number of converts remains relatively small in France, yearly conversions to Islam have doubled in the past 25 years, experts say, presenting a growing challenge for France, where government and public attitudes toward Islam are awkward and sometimes hostile.

French antiterrorism officials have been warning for years that converts represent a critical element of the terrorist threat in Europe, because they have Western passports and do not stand out.

In October, the French police conducted a series of antiterrorism raids across France, resulting in the arrests of 12 people, including at least three French citizens who had recently converted to Islam. Converts “often need to overdo it if they want to be accepted” as Muslims, and so veer into extremism more frequently than others, said Didier Leschi, who was in charge of religious issues at the Interior Ministry under former President Nicolas Sarkozy. » | Maïa de la Baume | Sunday, February 03, 2013

Jihadist Calls on Muslims in France to Become a "Trojan Horse" and Attack French Civilians (January 23, 2013)

French Muslims Join Opposition to Same-sex Marriage
YAHOO! NEWS: PARIS (Reuters) - French Muslims have begun joining a mostly Catholic-led movement against same-sex marriage, widening opposition to the reform that the Socialist-led government is set to write into the law by June.

Fifty Muslim activists issued an open letter on Monday urging fellow Muslims to join a major Paris protest against the law on Sunday. That followed a similar appeal last Saturday by the influential Union of French Islamic Organisations (UOIF).

Leaders of almost all main faiths in France have spoken out against the law, but not called on their followers to march in Sunday's demonstration to avoid giving the opposition campaign an overly religious tone.

President Francois Hollande and his government clashed with the Catholic Church last weekend, telling Catholic schools not to discuss the law with their pupils and urging state education officials to report anti-gay discussions at Catholic schools.

"We will protest on January 13 by joining a pluralist campaign to preserve the traditional framework of marriage," the Muslim activists' letter said. "We invite all French Muslims to turn out in large numbers."

The UOIF statement also urged Muslims to join the "March for All", the Paris protest against the reform the government has dubbed "Marriage for All".

"This bill, if it passes, will disrupt family and social structures and civil law dangerously and irreparably," it said. » | Tom Heneghan, Religion Editor | Reuters | Monday, January 07, 2013

Marine Le Pen: The Threat of Radical Islam
The leader of the far-right National Front party explains why she sees Muslim immigration as a grave threat to France.

Read the article here | Source: Al Jazeera | Monday, December 17, 2012

French Nationalists in Paris Protest Extreme Islam
ABC NEWS: Hundreds of French nationalists have demonstrated in Paris against Islamist extremism, chanting the French anthem and saying the religion has no place in the country.

Protester Romain Cyiril says, "France was always a welcoming country, but for the first time we have to deal with a religion which can't and doesn't want to integrate itself." » | Associated Press, PARIS | Saturday, November 10. 2012

LA VOIX DE LA RUSSIE: Une manifestation anti-islamique s'est déroulée à Paris » | dimanche 11 novembre 2012

Islam Overtaking Catholicism as Dominant Religion in France
GATESTONE INSTITUTE: Meanwhile, the Socialist government in France recently inaugurated a new mega-mosque in Paris as a first step toward "progressively building a French Islam."

A majority of people in France, according to a new poll, believe that Islam is too influential in French society, and almost half view Muslims as a threat to their national identity.

The survey reveals a significant degradation of the image of Islam in France. The findings also show that French voters are growing increasingly uneasy about mass immigration from Muslim countries, which has been encouraged by a generation of political and cultural elites in France dedicated to creating a multicultural society.

The survey conducted by the French Institute of Public Opinion (or Ifop, as it is usually called) and published by the center-right Le Figaro newspaper on October 24, shows that 60% of French people believe that Islam has become "too visible and influential" in France -- up from 55% in an earlier survey two years ago.

The poll also reveals that 43% of French people consider the presence of Muslim immigrants to be a threat to French national identity, compared to just 17% who say it enriches society.

In addition, 68% of people in France blame the problems associated with Muslim integration on immigrants who refuse to integrate (up from 61% two years ago), and 52% blame it on cultural differences (up from 40% two years ago).

The poll also shows a growing resistance to the symbols of Islam. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of French people say they are opposed to Muslim women wearing the veil or Islamic headscarves in public, compared to 59% two years ago.

Furthermore, the survey shows that only 18% of French people say they support the building of new mosques in France (compared to 33% in 1989, and 20% in 2010).

"Our poll shows a further hardening in French people's opinions," Jerome Fourquet, head of Ifop's opinion department, told Le Figaro. "In recent years, there has not been a week when Islam has not been in the heart of the news for social reasons: the veil, halal food, dramatic news like terrorist attacks or geopolitical reasons," he said.

France, which is home to an estimated six million Muslims, has the largest Muslim population in the European Union. There are now, in fact, more practicing Muslims in France than there are practicing Roman Catholics. » | Soeren Kern | Friday, November 02, 2012

Most French See Islam Too Influential In Society: Poll
REUTERS.COM: An increasing majority of people inFrance believe Islam plays too influential a role in their society and almost half see Muslims as a threat to their national identity, according to a poll published on Thursday.

The survey by pollster Ifop in Le Figaro newspaper showed that 60 percent of people believed that Islam was "too important" in France in terms of its influence and visibility, up from 55 percent two years ago.

It found that 43 percent of respondents considered the presence of the Muslim community as a threat to their national identity, compared with just 17 percent who said it enriched society. Forty percent of those questioned were indifferent to the presence of Islam, Le Figaro said.

"Our poll shows a further hardening in French people's opinions," Jerome Fourquet, head of Ifop's opinion department, told the newspaper.

The struggle of secular France, whose people are mainly Catholic, to assimilate the largest Islamic population in Europe was thrust into the spotlight in March when Muslim Mohamed Merah, went on a shooting spree in southwest France that killed three Jewish children, a rabbi and three soldiers.

"In recent years, there has not been a week when Islam has not been in the heart of the news for social reasons: the veil, halal food, for dramatic news like terrorist attacks or geopolitical reasons," Fourquet said. » | Reporting By Daniel Flynn | Paris | Thursday, October 25, 2012


ifop pour Le Figaro : L’image de l’islam en France – Résultats détaillés » | Octobre 2012

In France, Tensions Flare over Proposed Sale of Church to Muslim Group
THE INDEPENDENT: When the Rev. Alain Krauth preached to his dwindling flock at Mass last Sunday, the subject was real estate. But it was also Christian charity, tolerance and, indirectly, the gnawing malaise in France over an increasingly visible Muslim minority.

The issue was Saint-Eloi's, a graceless 1950s-vintage church on the edge of this declining French city 150 miles south of Paris. With six churches to maintain and fewer faithful every year, Roman Catholic authorities decided they could no longer afford Saint-Eloi's. It must be sold, Krauth lamented, and if one of the prospective buyers is a peaceful Muslim association looking for a new mosque, then so be it.

"If moderate Muslims buy Saint-Eloi's, we can only be happy that the Muslims of Vierzon are able to celebrate their religion," he said in an interview explaining his sermon. "If on the other hand they were extremists, that would be another question, knowing that there are extremists in all religions."

But Krauth's open-mindedness was not shared by all. After an item in the local newspaper, Le Berry Republicain, the murmurs began. Cafe conversations proliferated. Krauth said he got a dozen calls. Some were polite, others not. His office received about 20 e-mails. Some commended him; others asked how he could betray a place of Christian worship to the Muslims. » | Edward Cody, The Washington Post | Vierzon, France | Sunday, October 21, 2012

'Islamization' of Paris a Warning to the West (September 2010)
The French have become increasingly fed up with what they see as the growing Islamization of France.

Halal Meat Controversy in France
Halal meat, or meat slaughtered in line with Muslim tradition, is at the centre of a political controversy.

Quick - a fast-food French restaurant chain - is testing out a new niche market, withdrawing all pork products from the menu and serving only halal meat in some of its branches.

Experts say that with more than 5 million French Muslims who are potential customers, Quick is targeting a booming market: the $7.5bn halal business.

But the mayor of Roubaix, a French town near the northern city of Lille , has launched a law suit against the food chain, arguing that it constituted "discrimination" against non-Muslims.

And Marine Le Pen, the vice-president of the far-right National Front party, has warned of "Islamisation".

Al Jazeera's Estelle Youssouffa reports from Paris. [February 21, 2010]

French Muslims Get Call to Vote for President
ASSOCIATED PRESS: PARIS — They are France's millions-strong minority with a voice that usually falls silent at election time. But this year, there is a special new effort to mobilize French Muslims to speak up at the ballot box in Sunday's presidential race — amid a surge of Islam-bashing among the French right.

Imams and Islamic associations are calling on Muslims to do their duty as citizens and go to the polls. And while they're not officially endorsing anyone, the call itself is a bold move in a country where statistics on religious affiliation are formally banned and where secularism is enshrined in the constitution.

Socialist Francois Hollande — the poll favorite — is more likely to benefit from the get-out-the-vote push, because conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy has spoken out against Muslim practices in his campaign and experts say that Muslims in poor neighborhoods and Muslim youth tend to vote for the left. But the Muslim vote is diverse, and there's no guarantee that the push will bring out voters, since Muslims have tended in the past to avoid politics.

French Muslims have been pounded with blame throughout the campaign for what they eat (halal meat), how they pray (in the street), and for allegedly using their growing numbers to supplant France's civilization with their own. The massacre of Jewish schoolchildren and French paratroopers in March by an alleged Islamic extremist put Muslims in the spotlight anew and fed far-right fear mongering. » | Elaine Ganley | AP | Monday, April 30, 2012

Radical Islamists Taking Over French Suburbs, Le Pen Says
REUTERS.COM: Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen accused France's government on Thursday of surrendering poor suburbs to Islamic radicals and demanded more focus on the nation's security failings just weeks before a presidential election.

Le Pen, third in opinion polls, was speaking in the wake of the killing of three Jewish children, a rabbi and three soldiers in Toulouse. Their suspected killer, Mohamed Merah, a French citizen with Algerian origins, was killed in a hail of bullets on Thursday in a police siege.

"The government is scared," said Le Pen, who took the reins of France's anti-immigrant National Front party from her father Jean-Marie Le Pen last year.

"I've been saying this for 10 years. Entire districts are in the hands of Islamic fundamentalists and I say it again today the danger is underestimated," she told France Info radio.

"The reality dawning on the French people is that social and civil peace has been bought in a number of districts and that price is the development of (fundamentalist) networks," she said, estimating there were thousands of Islamic militants in France. » | Brian Love | Thursday, March 22, 2012

AP Interview: Le Pen Defends Anti-Islam Fight
FOX NEWS: NANTERRE, France – France's far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen says there's no shame in fighting so-called Islamization and insists it won't breed a mass killer like the Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik.

Le Pen said in an interview on Wednesday with The Associated Press that Islam is taking over French neighborhoods and fighting its spread must not stop "out of fear of a crazy man." » | Associated Press | Wednesday, April 18, 2012

France: Here Comes the Whitewash
THE JERUSALEM POST: Murders in Toulouse should be wake-up call for France. A big story can draw attention to a broader social trend.

The murders in Toulouse should be a wake-up call for France. True, the attacks on Jews and French soldiers were three individual terror attacks perpetrated, perhaps, by one person. Yet they are among dozens of incidents that happen daily in French cities, in schools, and in all aspects of life. A big story like the Toulouse attack can draw attention to a broader, dangerous social trend. Or it can be treated as an isolated incident.

Nothing to see here; move along; go back to sleep.

In the past, the mass media could be expected to present a debate on this issue, but now, all too often, they give a monopoly to the white-washers and the apologists. Phase one is to present any terrorist as a right-winger, neo-Nazi, or opponent of left-wing policies.

If the terrorist is a Muslim, however, his own explanations – citing dominant interpretations of Islam and the goal of furthering an Islamist revolution – are ignored.

Instead, he or they are presented as confused, psychologically disturbed individuals; victims of discrimination; or, in short, anything other than ideologically motivated revolutionaries. » | Barry Rubin | Sunday, March 25, 2012