Islamic veil fines? He’ll pay them!

Rachid Nekkaz

So far he paid 31 burka and niqab fines.  Rachid Nekkaz, a wealthy French businessmen, set up a million euro fund in 2010 to pay fines for women who choose to wear the full Islamic veil in countries banning it. Currently he supports Kenza Drider, a niqab veiled candidate for the 2012 presidential elections and he is trying to purchase the mayors’ signatures ( in France one needs 500 mayors’ signatures in ordrer to become an official presidential candidate).

1. Why have you decided to support Kenza Drider in her bid for president?

2. What is your opinion on secularism? 

Rachid Nekkaz showing the first two signatures he obtained

3. In January of 2012 you called the French mayors to sell their signatures to you for 646,25 € each, the equivalent of one month mayor’s allowances (in the community with less than 500 residents). How did you come up with that idea?

Muslim headscarves unveiled

France was the first European country to ban the full-face Muslim veils in public places. But, which are exactly the veils covering the face?
A short slideshow through the most popular Muslim headscarves.

Click on the http://files.photosnack.com/iframe/embed.html?hash=pu95oif9&bgcolor=EEEEEE&wmode=window&t=1329471591 to open the slideshow.

2012 Secularism proposals

What do six French presidential candidates top-rated in opinion polls have to say on the secularism? Let’s take a look at the extracts from their proposals.

 

Halal, the meat of discord in Marine le Pen’s party

Secularism diet by Marine le Pen:  halal meat off the menu.  Yet, the biggest provider of the halal poultry in Pas-de-Calais, northern region of France, is one National Front regional councillor.

In the beginning of 2010, Marine le Pen gave up on hamburgers. At least on those made in Quick, the fast-food chain that decided to serve only Halal meat hamburgers in some of their outlets.

The president of the far-right party Front National declared that it was “the discrimination of all non-Muslim customers (…) that the “halalburgers” amounted to an “Islamic tax” on French consumers”.

In 2011 the journalist Jean-Baptiste Malet publishes the book Derriere des lignes du Front (Behind the Front lines), the result of six month reporting within the National front party. Investigating behind the Front lines, he found the biggest provider of halal poultry in the region.

The 75 years old  Paul Lamoitier, National front regional councillor,  sells some thirty tons of halal meat to the regional butchers although for his party animals slaughtered in the name of Allah, using halal methods, aren’t welcome on the supermarket shelves and on the restaurant tables.

Marine le Pen’s cabinet chief claimed that “he doesn’t see the connection between the Paul Lamoitier’s situation and the Quick halal affair”.  Still, in her campaign proposal, Le Pen clearly positions herself against the “religious communitarianism.”  Should Paul Lamoitier look for another job or another political party?

Occupy theatre: anti-catholicophobic movement

Evolution of secularism

When did it start and what are the most important dates

of the French laïcité?