News and Analysis on Islam in Europe and North America
In response to an attempted arson of the mosque of Saint-Priest (Rhône) in an eastern suburb of Lyon, thousands gathered to show their solidarity against Islamophobia and to denounce the criminality of the act. The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) and the rector of the Grande Mosque of Paris Dalil Boubakeur both expressed
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.”
France fell just short of a target to deport 25,000 illegal immigrants in 2007, according to figures released by Immigration Minister Brice Hortefeux. French authorities deported an estimated 23,000-24,000 immigrants, as part of a controversial clampdown first launched when President Nicholas Sarkozy was interior minister. Several rights groups including Amnesty International have protested against the