CAIRO – French Justice Minister Rachida Dati is facing a smear campaign by right-wing media and “jealous” politicians, who cannot swallow a Muslim woman of poor ethnic background holding such a prestigious post, Britain’s Times reported on Tuesday, July 17. “Rachida Dati is paying for being an outsider, because she is young, a woman and of North African origin,” said Dominique Sopo, the Socialist President of the SOS Racisme organization. He said Dati, as an “atypical” minister, has sparked “resentment” among the “republican aristocracy.” Dati, 41, has become in no time one of the most popular politicians in France with six books on her life and battle against adversity being rushed into print.
