Extreme right in France mobilizes around Swiss minaret ban
These two articles explain how the National Front has mobilized itself around the minaret ban in Switzerland to “reopen” questions of identity and immigration in France.
National Front
Debate sparked on Islamic finance in France
Islamic finance is sparking a heated debate in France. “We must not allow principles of Shari`ah law, or the ethics of the Qur`an to be introduced into French law,” said Socialist MP Henri Emmanuelli. The parliament recently approved a number of adjustments to the banking laws to allow sukuk [Islamic bonds] to be issued for…
National Front Leader Jean-Marie Le Pen creates controversy in Marseille
Announcing his intention to present himself in the 2010 regional elections in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen made several “shocking” statements. He claimed that “mass immigration takes the form of an actual colonization.” He added that while today there are 300,000 Muslims in Marseille, when there will be 800,000, the mayor will…
Marine Le Pen Claims that “Positive” Laïcité has Benefited Islam
National Front vice-president Marine Le Pen has offered her reflections on what President Nicholas Sarkozy has termed “positive secularism.” On the occasion of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to France, Le Pen noted, “I have battled against positive secularism, but for reasons other than those I have seen in the newspapers in the last few days.”…
French Court Fines Far-Right Leader for Racism and Anti-Islamism
A French court of appeals fined far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen for discrimination, hatred or racial violence for anti-Muslim remarks he made in an interview in Le Monde in 2003. The National Front party leader was ordered to pay 10,000 Euros in fines and 5,000 Euros in damages to the plaintiff, the French League of…