Burqa ban in France to take effect from April 11 2011

News Agencies – March 3, 2011 Women will face prison for hiding their faces under the cloak – as will men who force their wives to wear one. The law, which will take effect from April 11, brands the garment ‘an insult to the country’s values’. It will make France the second country in Europe

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Council forbids pork and wine buffet outside Muslim prayer hall

News Agencies – March 2, 2011 Authorities in the French city of Nice have forbidden a far-right group to hold a “porchetta and rosé apéritif” outside a Muslim prayer hall. The Nissa Rebela nationalist group says it has already submitted a second request for permission for the event after its first was rejected. The permit

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Sarkozy’s Islam debate opens rift in French ruling party

News Agencies – March 4, 2011 President Nicolas Sarkozy’s plans to hold a national debate on the role of Islam in French society has opened a rare rift in his centre-right party, potentially damaging his credibility ahead of a presidential election. Fears about the role of Islam in France’s secular society have become a key

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French Minister of Education says headscarf-wearing women cannot enter school grounds

News Agencies – March 3, 2011 The French Minister of Education, Luc Chatel, has written in support of a school director in Seine Saint-Denis who refused to meet headscarf-wearing women at the entrance of a public school. Parents must accept “neutrality” if they come close to the school, said the principal. The decision counters that

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