Sarkozy Nixes Halal Meat in Schools and Swimming Hour Accommodations as the Issue of France’s Muslims is Debated in Presidential Campaign
- Posted on March 4, 2012 at 4:06pm by
Christopher Santarelli
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(AP) — The issue of France’s Muslims moved front and center into the presidential campaign with the incumbent, Nicolas Sarkozy, excluding on Saturday any special indulgences for halal meat or separate swimming hours for Muslim women in public pools.
Echoing his 2007 campaign, Sarkozy insisted that French civilization must prevail in France. He created France’s first Ministry of Immigration and National Identity after being elected, but has since done away with it.
Muslims, and immigration, are constant themes in recent French presidential races, but the topic is rising to the fore with vehemence as the April 22 first-round vote nears — 50 days from now. The final round is May 6.
Critics say Sarkozy is ogling supporters of extreme-right candidate Marine Le Pen, who is third in polls after front-runner Francois Hollande, a Socialist, and the conservative president. Le Pen, who succeeds party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, her father, has worked to erase the image of the party as anti-Semitic — but now castigates what she says is the profile of Islam in France.
There are an estimated 5 million Muslims in France, the largest such population in Western Europe, and the latest generation is making increasing demands that the country accommodate needs set out by their religion or their customs.
“There is no place in the republic for xenophobia, there is no place for racism … There is no place for pools with hours for men and hours for women,” Sarkozy told a rally Saturday in Bordeaux.
The team of Hollande, the Socialist candidate, castigated as “sickening” a remark Friday by Interior Minister Claude Gueant, who said that giving foreigners the right to vote in local elections would open the way to halal meat in school canteens and burqa-style bathing suits in public pools.
Sarkozy makes “scapegoats, stigmatizes” Muslims, said Manuel Valls, communications chief for Hollande’s campaign.
Hollande has proposed allowing all foreigners residing in France legally for five years to have the right to vote in local elections. The Socialist candidate has made it a policy to avoid implicating himself directly in divisive issues, leaving responses to his lieutenants.
At a rally Saturday in Dijon, Hollande simply reiterated that foreigners should be allowed to vote “without fearing for our citizenship or our national cohesion or our freedom.”
The French president, who declared his candidacy just weeks ago, on Feb. 15, is narrowing the gap with Hollande but, polls show, would lose by a wide margin in second-round balloting.
“There is no taboo subject,” Sarkozy said, suggesting that it is not in the nation’s interest to be politically correct about immigration or about what some Muslims seek to conform to their religious beliefs or cultural mores.
He said issues like halal food in schools or special hours so that Muslim women can swim out of view of men are in contradiction with the French principle of secularism.
Such issues “should be considered not as religious facts, but as facts of civilization,” he said.
Jerome Sainte-Marie of the CSA polling firm, monitoring the rally with BFM television, said that with Sarkozy’s showing in polls he must work the terrain where he does best.
“Nicolas Sarkozy has no other choice but to turn the tables and transform this election into a referendum on national identity,” Sainte-Marie said.
But the spokesman for Le Pen’s campaign, Florian Philippot, counters that “the French are not for one second dupes of the electoral strings (being pulled) by the Sarkozy camp.”
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Comments (61)
badjujuu
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:23pmThe Muslims will take over without firing a shot. Their numbers will win. While typical white Christian family has two kids on average, they have four to six. It’s a matter of time. That‘s sad but it’s true. Look around. In the last couple of tears they build four more mosques in my area. USA today reported 74% spike in new mosque constructions in USA. They are allowed to immigrate, breed and the more
Report Post »Of them there are the harder it’s gonna be to do something about it. Wait until they become the majority in the political offices. We can kiss out freedoms good bye.
db321
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 11:12pmI hope that who ever becomes our Republican Candidate will have a chance to debate a Muslim.
Report Post »Ruler4You
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 10:28amThey aren’t “immigrating” as much as the U.S. government is BRINGING them here as refugee immigrants under passports for ‘persecuted’ classes. And then provided housing, food, money, cars, jobs and social security numbers. I’ve seen it. Government “IS” subverting America using its own policies.
But lets not forget that many, not the majority, have come here “illegally” across our open borders. Where there’s no will, there’s a way.
Report Post »TheycallmeJoker
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:15pmWe are all french now!
Report Post »G-WHIZ
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 9:51amTo: THEYCALLMEJOKER. Ya’ becha! This is why The other countries call it [FRANCE] !! Duh! Mabe they call it FRANCE… because of all the Frenchmen/women there. Dubbl-Duh!! and even a “D’Oh!!!”.If they are deleeted, what do you call it…”Oh let’s go and visit the country of WHO? It’s soooo unique…….NOT! All their churches, which have been up for centuries will be demolished and mosqes will replace them. Everything which made them “French” will dissappear, including eracing all their history. Oh, well, nittin‘ ta’ see here ’cause nuttin’ gonna happin…go back ta sleeeeeep. [Io(
Report Post »rienheart
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 10:03pmDifference here is…. America is armed and we can protect those who stand against tyranny, from Islam or Commies. More people are arming themselves since Obama was elected, including women. Would like to see the statistics on how many Muslim Women are arming up, so they don’t have to put up with Muslim Men.
Report Post »paperpushermj
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 11:47pmPlease… if Muslim women had guns there would be but few Muslim men.
Report Post »Mr.Fitnah
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:21pmGood move We need some of that here.
Report Post »Target rolled over for muslims cashiers who didnt want to touch bacon .
They bacon is wrapped in plastic Does Islam forbid touching plastic?
Do cashiers get a pass on touching wrapped bacon? That is sick.
SMOKIN
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:31pmThey wipe with their left hand. Who knows what with the right. Get bacon somewhere else. :)
Report Post »TyrannyNoMore
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:17pmIslam’s Latest Contributions to Peace
“Mohammed is God’s apostle. Those who follow him are ruthless
to the unbelievers but merciful to one another” Quran 48:29
2012.03.04 (Zinjibar, Yemen) – A al-Qaeda suicide bomber sends fifteen other souls to Allah.
Report Post »2012.03.03 (Jolo, Philippines) – Abu Sayyaf militants detonate a bomb in front of a grocery store, killing two civilians.
2012.03.03 (Peshawar, Pakistan) – A 5-year-old girl is among two innocents slain by a Shahid suicide bomber.
2012.03.03 (Nangarhar, Afghanistan) – Islamic hardliners shred four family members with a roadside bomb.
2012.03.02 (Tirah Bazaar, Pakistan) – Two dozen people are blown to bits by a Fedayeen suicide bomber outside a mosque.
2012.03.02 (Pattani, Thailand) – A husband and wife are shot to death in their home by Muslim ‘insurgents’.
dmerwin
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 11:36amGood post, thanks for the weather report. Wonder why we don’t see this on the news?
Report Post »SMOKIN
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:01pmTres bien Monsieur, n’oubliez pas de les dire, “allez vous faire foutre ”!!!!
Report Post »Ils nous detestent, non?
USAMEDIC3008
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 12:42amWe WE
Report Post »Leader1776
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:40pmHats off to Sarkosy
Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, …………………. why do we single out a ‘religion of hate’. Care to trade quotes from the Koran?
Report Post »proliance
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:40pmFrance for the French? Upholding French culture?
Try writing a letter to the editor in you local newspaper saying that you want to keep American values and not water down your culture by pandering to foreigners. You’ll be called a racist and be lucky not to have protesters on your front lawn.
Report Post »reggie patrick
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 11:22pmOur new policy is not to demand American values, but denouce them and apologize for them. The liberals and their ilk would label you also “BIGOT” never forget that precious word! It is the word they love the most because just by shouting “Bigot”, that covers their demented guilt laden minds, with a sense of being righteous. –Well said Proliance!!!!
Report Post »dadsrootbeer
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 8:39pmToo bad Holder doesn’t have jurisdiction in France or he would file suit against Sarkozy.
Report Post »Robert-CA
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 6:57pmDifferent swimming hours for muslim women .
Report Post »in what century these people are still in ?
USAMEDIC3008
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 12:44amFirst
Report Post »Leslie Anne
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 11:28amI wish the USA had separate swimming hours for women…and I’m not Muslim.
Report Post »Carlinpa
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 6:05pmWow , France leading the way out of multiculturalism…we need to get on the train…
Report Post »Zen Patriot
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 5:47pmI’m beginning to like those Frenchies… (a little bit anyway)
Report Post »AnAmerican111
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 5:39pmComing to America!………………soon!
Report Post »Will Americans wake up in time to the disaster that is OBAMA?
IlovemyAkita
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 6:12pmI’m awake. We are next. Islam is a theocracy. Why is it sometimes refered to as a people? Is France going to need us to save their asses again? From the sound of this article…yes, if we still have it in us. CRUSADES II is in progress. Are the Catholics going to save us this time?
Report Post »AB5r
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 5:38pmProblem is, and it is for all so-called Western countries, countries that supposedly make up what has been called Western Civilization, if immigration of Muslims is not stopped entirely, and those already here gradually made to reduce in numbers, as the number of Muslims increases it will become literally impossible to fight off the Islamic destruction of the various institutions of the West. Since Muslims can and will physically kill for their religion it will gradually become impossible to find judges or politicians or citizens willing to speak out against Islam as doing so will mean instant death, as is the case in all of the other societies Islam has spread in and come to control. All of this is mere window dressing, rearranging the chairs on the Titanic, that sort of thing. Only eliminating the spread of Islam altogether will save the West.
Report Post »Windwalker
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 2:43amAbsolutely correct. History has borne that out more than once. Where is a Charles “the hammer” Martel when you need one?
Report Post »GrayPanther
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 9:39amRight on. how many warnings like France before we wake up? Are we cowering because of political correctness? Is it religious freedom? Because if it is, the cause goes beyond religion. Islam is controlled by the radicals and their goals are clear. Just look at Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Egypt as well as the European countries.Wake up America!
Report Post »patspeak
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 5:35pmWhen will President Barack Hussein Obama II stand up as the leader of the free world?
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 5:40pmWhen he is done appologizing, which is never.
Report Post »hauschild
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 5:34pmFreakin’ Red …
Report Post »KangarooJack
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 5:27pmIt is heartening to see France stand up for France. Australia is also standing up for itself. Watch the fireworks when Great Britian stands up for itself….wait til Minnesota stands up for itself against it’s import of Somalians……..now THAT will be picture!
Report Post »Zen Patriot
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 5:49pmThat won’t happen until long after Dayton is gone.
Report Post »JBaer
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 9:19pmYou got that right Zen!
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 5:20pmThere goes the French again, making America look bad by doing what we should be doing, growing a pair and standing to our principles. The next thing they will do is stand up to their socialist union system. Wait, they tried that and the unions paralyzed their country.
Report Post »cookcountypatriot
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 5:13pmno halal meat for you!
Report Post »USAMEDIC3008
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 12:46amNo pudden either
Report Post »G-WHIZ
Posted on March 5, 2012 at 9:58amGiv them pork-HALA…there is turkey-bacon sooooo…… .
Report Post »dmerwin
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 4:56pmNick’s got a pair and sees the problem with creeping Sharia.
Report Post »AJAYW
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 4:54pmObama’s people
Report Post »Smokey_Bojangles
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 4:50pmNicolas Sarkozy is going to chase them all off,then we will get stuck with them. Can’t believe France is taking a stand while we are bending over backwards over some books that the Muslims desecrated first by writing in them.
Report Post »maxedout
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 4:49pmAllowing muslim immigrants into a country is a no brainer…….you don’t.
Report Post »momrules
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 4:45pmAt least there is one President willing to step up to the plate and try to stop Islam’s rule in their country. Who would ever have guessed that it would be the President of France?
Report Post »Baddoggy
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 4:50pmI think its too late though. They are in the framework of the Government and will soon take over. Sadly we are in the crosshairs.
Report Post »TimCotter
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 4:58pmI agree Mom!
In recent years, when did we ever applaud the French?
Report Post »RJJinGadsden
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 5:16pmWhen compared to our dumb@$$ in chief, I do applaud the French. They at least elected somebody with some balls.
Report Post »CatB
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 5:18pmI agree … France no less??!! Assisimilate or leave! …. I wish we had a leader with “a pair”.
Report Post »cookcountypatriot
Posted on March 4, 2012 at 4:42pmlook to europe to see how the muslims plan to take over…everywhere…and the progressives love them so
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