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| Europe |
| France looks to ban children from wearing Muslim headscarf as government tackles 'political Islamism' |
| 2025-05-21 |
| [Daily Mail, where America gets its news] French President Emmanuel Macron's political party has announced that it wants to ban minors under 15 from wearing the Muslim headscarf in public. It comes as his government held a security meeting on Wednesday to discuss the spread of 'political Islamism' in France. The meeting, which included the head of government and key ministers, addressed a report which sounds the alarm about the Muslim Brotherhood and the rising influence of the Islamist movement - which it said poses 'a threat to national cohesion' in France. After the meeting, the Elysee Palace said measures will be taken, 'some of which will be announced' while others will remain classified. The report into the movement, which was founded in Egypt in 1928, was commissioned by the government and prepared by two senior civil servants. It 'clearly establishes the anti-republican and subversive nature of the Muslim Brotherhood' and 'proposes ways to address this threat', said the Elysee Palace. It comes as Macron's Renaissance party said it would forbid 'minors under 15 from wearing the veil in public spaces,' phrasing that generally means places outside the home like the street, cafes, parks and stores. It added the hijab 'seriously undermines gender equality and the protection of children'. The party, led by former prime minister Gabriel Attal, also wants to introduce a 'criminal offence for coercion against parents who force their underage daughters to wear the veil'. Renaissance is a minority force in the French parliament and works in a minority government alongside a traditional right-wing party. Critics see the headscarf worn by some Muslim women as a symbol of creeping Islamisation after deadly jihadist attacks in France, while others say they are just practising their religion and should wear what they want. Jordan Bardella, leader of France's far-right National Rally (RN), accused Attal of making a 'U-turn' on the issue, sharing a video on his social media from a 2022 debate in which the former prime minister warned against the potential persecution of veiled women under a Marine Le Pen presidency. During her unsuccessful 2022 presidential campaign, Le Pen had evoked banning the wearing of the hijab by everyone in all public spaces in France. Under current French legislation, civil servants, teachers and pupils cannot wear any obvious religious symbols such as a Christian cross, Jewish kippa, Sikh turban or Muslim hijab in government buildings, which includes public schools. The government is also pushing for a new law to ban the headscarf in domestic sports competitions, a move critics of the law argue would be just the latest rule discriminating against visibly Muslim women. Responding to the news and the new government report, critics have condemned what they call the rise of Islamophobia in France. 'Islamophobia has crossed a line,' hard-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon said on X. He accused the Defence Council meeting chaired by Macron of endorsing 'the delusional theories' of Le Pen and France's hardline Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau France's authorities are eager to prevent any spread of extremist Islamist ideas in a country that has been rocked by a string of deadly jihadist attacks. Religious radicalisation has become a hot-button issue as the far-right is becoming increasingly popular in France, with the new government report sparking heated reactions. Le Pen accused the government of inaction, saying on X that she has long proposed measures to 'eradicate Islamist fundamentalism'. Bardella meanwhile said on France Inter radio: 'If we come to power tomorrow, we will ban the Muslim Brotherhood.' The report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, pointed to the spread of Islamism 'from the bottom up', adding the phenomenon constituted 'a threat in the short to medium term'. At the same time, the presidency stressed, 'we are all perfectly aligned in saying that we must not lump all Muslims together'. 'We are fighting against Islamism and its radical excesses.' The report zeroed in on the role of Muslims of France (Musulmans de France), which it identified as 'the national branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in France.' Related: Hijab 05/08/2025 Fight between swearing girls in hijabs filmed in Caucasus Hijab 05/05/2025 Terrorist attack at Lady Gaga concert foiled in Rio de Janeiro Hijab 05/01/2025 Tell us what you REALLY Think! Woman at Islam Event Tears Off Her Hijab, Starting Her Political Campaign |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #3 Catholic nuns going to be asked to remove their head covering? Just asking [for curious Amish and Mennonite]. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2025-05-21 16:59 |
| #2 Political Islam: A Ditty There's no other kind! Nitty-gritty: Mohammedans date Stuff from founding a state In Islam's second-brightest-lit city. De-hyphenate to taste. |
| Posted by: Pancho Poodle8452 2025-05-21 16:35 |
| #1 Is there another kind? |
| Posted by: Cesare 2025-05-21 14:17 |
