Latest update: 03/05/2010

- Burqa - French politics - Islam - Islamic veil - law - Muslims - Nicolas Sarkozy

France: The burqa debate is back

Renée Kaplan interviews Amel Boubekeur, Associate Scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center; Donald Morrison, Time Magazine Contributor; Mohamed-Ali Adraoui, Lecturer and Researcher at the Institute of Political Studies of Paris; and Benjamin Lancar, President of the UMP’s Youth Movement.

POLITICS

Click here to watch part 2 with Amel Boubekeur, Donald Morrison, José-Manuel Lamarque and Benjamin Lancar.

Marc Perelman

French Politics Editor

23/05/2012 - POLITICS

Parliamentary Elections: A cakewalk for the left?

We're barely out of a bruising presidential battle and already plunged into another campaign for the parliamentary elections, with 77 constituencies up for grabs. The Socialists are hoping to obtain a clear majority, while the right is hoping to pull off an upset, with the far-right National Front once again playing kingmaker.

17/05/2012 - POLITICS

French Presidency: A break with the past?

It was a week of handovers. On Tuesday, France's first Socialist president in 17 years made his way up the red carpet and into the history books, becoming only the second Socialist since 1958 to take up residence at the Élysée palace.

09/05/2012 - POLITICS

François Hollande: A 'normal' president?

François Hollande is France's new leader; only the second Socialist president since 1958. But while Hollande has won the mother of all French political battles, he has not won the war. Both the Socialists and Conservatives are gearing up for crucial parliamentary elections in June. They will shape the Hollande presidency by deciding whether he will have a majority to implement his policies or not.

26/04/2012 - POLITICS

French Presidential Runoff: Dear far-right voters...

We are now 10 days away from the second round run-off of the French presidential election. As expected, the ballot will feature François Hollande versus Nicolas Sarkozy. But the wild card will be Marine Le Pen and her 6.4 million voters in the first round. Both candidates want her voters, but how far can they go? And will it work?

18/04/2012 - POLITICS

Presidential Election: Sarkozy and Hollande in pole position

There are now only a few days left before we will know the verdict of the first round of France's presidential election. So who is likely to win the most votes in this first round, and in the run-off two weeks later?

Comments (3)

Why is it whatever Religious

by Anonyme - 14/09/2010 - 22:48

Why is it whatever Religious symbol you burn are on Muslims? Hijab for the School Girls and now Niqab? And yet you say is nothing to do with Islam? Does is it mean during winter no one will be allowed to cover the face? What about the motorcycles riders wearing helmet? Come on you people, be sincere.

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Burqa in Egypt

by Anonyme - 10/05/2010 - 11:26

The Egyptians seem to think the burqa wearers are a part of a more extremist form of Islam. The wearing of the burqa is also causing trouble there as well. When Barack Obama visited many of the foreign burqa wearers and male students at Arabic and Islamic schools there were arrested. Which shows how uncomfortable even in the Muslim world they are with the aspect of Islam that goes with the burqa. The Egyptians think it is radical.

One of their problems is that a lot of the burqa wearers and radical students are coming to Egypt from Europe. And this is something they are very worried about.

Syria too has also arrested burqa wearing students from Europe. Pointing to a growing fear there of Islamic radicalization there as well.

This is not only a western problem.

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Burka, veil and Co.

by Anonyme - 01/05/2010 - 14:58

An answer to this problem is not so difficult for France after all. The French have given themselves a political and social basis for the society they want to live in:"Liberté, égalité, fraternité", remember? That is for all people living in France, a concept I as a native German do admire! Burka, veil or niqab, i.e. the concept behind such social exclusion is total control of man over woman, it maintains totalitarian ideology and is not compatible with French society. This has nothing to do with nationality or citizenship. It is the attitude towards "Liberté, égalité, fraternité" that answers the question of being for or against the order of concealment that is always posted on women, never on men! How about a law to put an impressive fine on men imposing such sexist and degrading misbehavior?
Best regards,
Rosie Schott
Germany

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