“Muslim woman in niqab, is ill-mannered and indecent”
FRANCE: French elections are set to be held on November 20 and 27. One of the presidential candidate Bruno Le Maire followed the footsteps of Trump in attacking Islam and has vowed to put an end of its influence on his country.
Mr Le Maire, 47, who is known for his strong anti-immigration stance, told French magazine Le Journal du Dimanche political Islam had been affecting France’s secular values since years; and Islamic institutions were being run by powerful religious leaders based in more radical Muslim nations, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
He said: “Political Islam is like gangrene. It’s an infection which has caused France’s liberal traditions to slowly rot away. There is an urgent need to regain control and to reorganise the way in which Islamic institutions based in this country are run.”
“The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) which acts as a bridge between Muslims and the government is doomed to failure, and has helped give Salafi-jihadist leaders and militants a voice,” he said.
“The council must become more transparent and secular if it is to succeed in helping Muslims integrate into French society,” he further warned.
“Blanket ban should be imposed on the Islamic face veil including the headscarf and the body-covering burqa and niqab. Moreover it should be banned in all public places, and not just in schools,” Mr Le Maire added.
He said: “I would be more than willing to launch a debate on the wearing of ostentatious displays of religion in public places, including hospitals, government-run offices, and universities.”
If successful, such a debate could lead to a nationwide ban on the Islamic face veil, and on the slightly less conservative headscarf: “When you see Muslim woman walking down the street clad in a niqab, it is both ill-mannered of them and indecent.”
And according to Mr Le Maire, wearing the burqa or the niqab in public should no longer be a fineable offence: it should be considered “serious misdemeanour”.