French lawmakers debate possible burqa ban

Amid heated debates, French lawmakers are wrestling with a compromise over a proposed ban on the wearing of face-veil by Muslim women. “We will talk about the idea of a law, about the need to take time to prepare it and to avoid stigmatization,” said MP André Gerin, head of the parliamentary commission on the…

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French Political Party, the UMP, launches website to debate the Burqa

Led by Jean-François Copé, Nicolas Sarkozy’s political party, the UMP or the Union for a Popular Movement, has launched a website to consider and debate the niqab and burqa in the Republic: http://la-burqa-en-debat.fr/. The website includes polls, definitions, video stream and position pieces by elected officials, as well as additional information links on the subject….

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Interview of Barack Obama With Le Figaro

In his first interview with with the French Media, President Obama notes his close friendship with French President Nicholas Sarkozy and his motivations for attempting a better dialogue between East and West. Obama adds that the United States is home to many Muslims, and therefore there is national interest for such dialogue. While bemoaning his…

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Minister of Diversity and Equal Opportunities calls for ethnic-origin statistics in France

French minister of Diversity and Equal Opportunities Yazid Sabeg has reopened debate on whether France should officially collect ethnic-origin statistics. Should Nicholas Sarkozy agree with Sabeg’s initiative, debate in the Republic is assured among both the Right and the Left. Many opponents have argued that such statistics create divisions among the population and highlight difference….

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French Justice Minister Rachida Dati back to work 5 days after birth

Justice Minister Rachida Dati has turned heads in Paris, having moved out of the maternity ward and into a Cabinet meeting five days after giving birth at age 43. While Dati has wide public support, she has largely fallen out of favor with magistrates, lawyers, and President Nicholas Sarkozy, who many claim propelled the daughter…

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