Muslims used as ‘scapegoats’ in French vote: Muslim Council

French PM had urged Muslims, Jews to consider scrapping their ‘outdated’ Halal and kosher slaughter rules.


Afp March 06, 2012
Muslims used as ‘scapegoats’ in French vote: Muslim Council

PARIS: The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) on Tuesday slammed the use of Muslims as “scapegoats” in the French election campaign in which Halal slaughter has become a hot-button issue.

The statement came a day after Prime Minister Francois Fillon urged Muslims and Jews to consider scrapping their “outdated” Halal and kosher slaughter rules.

The CFCM, asked about Fillon’s comment on Halal, said it “does not accept that Islam and Muslims be used as scapegoats in this (election) campaign”.

Richard Prasquier, head of the CRIF umbrella group of French Jewish organisations, said Monday that he was “shocked” by Fillon’s “stupefying” declaration.

The comments came as the right-wing President Nicolas Sarkozy and his ministers kept up their efforts to woo far-right voters from the anti-immigrant National Front led by Marine Le Pen.

Le Pen launched the Halal debate last month when she claimed that all meat from abattoirs in the Paris region was prepared using Islamic Halal traditions.

It later emerged that these abattoirs mostly supplied local Muslim butchers and that most meat sold in Paris came from outside the region.

France is home to western Europe’s largest Jewish community, estimated at up to 700,000, and its largest Muslim minority, officially estimated at four million.

The country has for years been debating how far it is willing to go to accommodate Islam, now France’s second religion.

Sarkozy’s government has come under fire from Muslim groups for a series of measures implemented during his five-year rule that authorities say are aimed at protecting France’s secular tradition.

These include a ban on wearing full-face veils such as the Islamic niqab and the burqa.

France will vote in the first round of a presidential election on April 22, followed by a second-round run-off on May 6. The socialist candidate Francois Hollande is well ahead of Sarkozy in the polls.

COMMENTS (24)

Somone True | 12 years ago | Reply

Why are the followers of ISLAM going to these advanced - Developed - Liberal countries in the first place. Stick to where you belong and fight for your rights. You know you cant do that in your own muslim country. Try doing that---- you will get killed. These countries are at least giving you a choice to protest.

99 | 12 years ago | Reply

@some one: What a joke. Halal leads the animal to bleed to death where it suffers throughout the whole process. Electricution as well other techniques used in the west are instantaneous. Muslims have no right to start complaining about whats allowed or not in the west when no rights and religious freedom is given to minorities in muslim countries.

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