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Muslim youth need manners: French minister
[Al Arabiya Latest] A French government minister drew angry reactions on Tuesday for saying young Muslims should not speak slang or wear their caps back to front, a general trademark of youth across the world who consider themselves "hip." Nadine Morano, junior minister for the family and social unity, said she wanted a young Muslim to "love France when he lives here, to find a job, not speak slang and not wear his cap back to front." The Socialist opposition and anti-racism campaigners criticized her comments, made at a discussion organized as part of a national debate on French identity which has been widely criticized as divisive. Morano said her remarks had been "taken out of context." "I was saying that with this caricature, and the stigmatization that exists, I would advise them not only to wear their cap straight and not speak slang, but I explained also (they should) use the potential of their double culture," she said on Tuesday. Her comments on young Muslims referred to "verlan," French street slang formed by reversing the syllables of words. Socialist Party spokesman Benoit Hamon said her comments were "very serious." "That confirms the caricatured view that several members of the government have of the youth of this country, with improbable generalizations about young Muslims suspected of not looking for work," he told AFP. Campaign group SOS Racisme described her words as "another blunder" in the debate, which has sharpened sensitivities over France's Muslim majority -- Europe's biggest -- and been cast as a government bid to win right-wing votes. "They are part of a long series of racist and stigmatizing comments made during the debates on national identity," the association said in a statement. Posted by: Fred 2009-12-16 |
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