News Agencies – March 7, 2012 France’s prime minister scrambled to dispel concerns in Jewish and Muslim communities after criticizing the ritual slaughter of animals for kosher and halal meat. Halal meat has emerged as a hot-button issue in the campaign for presidential elections starting next month in France. Francois Fillon’s call for religions to…
News Agencies – December 14, 2011 Rachida Dati, the first Muslim woman of North African origin to hold a senior French government post, focused a public complaint against the prime minister, François Fillon, in whose cabinet she served as justice minister. Fillon, she wrote in a scathing letter to Le Monde, represented a staid…
Reuters – September 16, 2011 French companies are increasingly facing religious demands from their employees and need a change in the labor code to be able to reject requests they find unreasonable, according to a report from the High Council for Integration (HCI). Most cases concern Muslims seeking time off for prayers or halal food…
News Agencies – February 28, 2011 French Prime Minister François Fillon is opposed to a proposed debate about the place of Islam in France, if it would lead to the stigmatisation of Muslims. “If this debate must be focused on Islam and if it seems to lead to the stigmatisation of Muslims, I oppose it….
Prime Minister David Cameron has said he hopes Britain and France can open up a new front in the fight against violent extremism by working together to prevent the radicalization of young Muslims. After talks with French prime minister Francois Fillon, Mr Cameron said: “I am becoming increasingly convinced it is not enough just to…
