The incoming head of France’s government body on Islam is facing a mounting backlash for suggesting Muslims should be “discreet”. Jean-Pierre Chevènement, 77, has been charged with heading the Foundation for French Islam by President Francois Hollande – despite not being a Muslim himself. “The advice I give in these difficult times – like the …
Islamophobic tweets ‘peaked in July’
Almost 7,000 “Islamophobic” tweets were sent, in English, every day in July worldwide, data seen by the BBC suggests. This compared to 2,500 in April, with peaks recorded following the Nice lorry attack and the attempted military coup in Turkey. Forty-nine words and hashtags were used as indicators of anti-Islamic tweets, by the think tank …
French police apprehend 10 Muslim women for wearing burkinis
Ten Muslim women have been apprehended by French police for wearing a burkini to the beach, with four having to pay a fine, a French official said on 17 August 2016. The women were all stopped by police in Cannes where a ban on the full-body swimming attire came into place on 28 July. Six …
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Burkinis banned on Cannes Riviera beaches by French mayor
The French resort of Cannes has banned full-body, head-covering swimsuits from its beaches, citing security reasons. Cannes mayor David Lisnard issued an ordinance in late July forbidding beachwear that doesn’t respect “good morals and secularism”. It said swimwear “manifesting religious affiliation in an ostentatious way, while France and its religious sites are currently the target …
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Muslim couple kicked off Delta flight for ‘sweating’, saying ‘Allah’ and texting
A Muslim couple who accused Delta Air Lines of Islamophobia for throwing them off a flight have spoken of their ordeal for the first time. Nazia Ali had removed her sneakers, finished sending a text message to her parents and was putting on headphones and settling into her seat for the nine-hour flight from Paris …
Australian woman forced off French beach for wearing a burkini
A Muslim woman from Australia has told how she was forced to leave a beach in France for wearing a burkini. Zeynab Alshelh, a 23-year-old medical student, told Australian media she had travelled to Europe to show solidarity with local Muslim women. Footage broadcast on Channel 7 showed local people saying they would call the …
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French lorry drivers converge on Calais for refugee camp protest
Thousands of angry Calais residents, lorry drivers and farmers blockaded the Channel Tunnel and ferry port on Monday to demand the demolition of the sprawling “Jungle” migrants’ camp, blamed for rising insecurity. French lorry drivers have threatened to blockade the port of Calais, causing severe travel disruption in France and the UK, unless a date …
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French PM Valls slams New York Times report on burkini ban
France’s prime minister Manuel Valls has reacted strongly to an article published by the New York Times on September 2nd, in which French Muslim women complained of discrimination. The article “paints an intolerable picture, because it is false, of France, the country of the Enlightenment and liberties,” Mr Valls retorted in an opinion piece published …
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Five women wearing the Islamic headscarf have been prevented from entering a nursery school in France
Five women wearing the Islamic headscarf have been prevented from entering a nursery school in Corsica by other parents. Monday’s incident in Bonifacio took place as children returned to school after the summer holiday. Staff and pupils at French schools are banned from wearing religious symbols – but parents are not. Police intervened to calm …
French PM suggests naked breasts represent France better than a headscarf
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls suggested on Monday that “naked breasts” are the representation of women’s rights in France, rather than Muslim headscarves. “Marianne has a naked breast because she nourished the people. She was not veiled because she is free. That is the Republic. That is Marianne!” said the prime minister at a government …
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