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The statement came a day after Prime Minister Francois Fillon urged Muslims and Jews to consider scrapping their “outdated” Halal and kosher slaughter rules.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)
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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.
@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.
I dread the day when whole of France is forced to wear burqa and hijab. All the fight their ancestors done for liberalisation of women will go right down the drain.
But then muslims were used as cannon fodder in IranIraq war and still used as cannon fodder in Afghan war and WOT in Afpak region. Freeman: Nobody converts muslims to hindus because to be a hindu, u have to be born as a hindu. The conversions which took place in India are christians to hinduism because the hindus were converted to christianism which they were reverting back. some one : If u care about the animals so much that they shouldnt suffer, then why kill them at all. Become a vegetarian like many Indians are. Cynical: I like ur comments man. Very sarcastic. On serious note, we are children of Ram/Krishna/Shiva/Christ etc.
So French politicians & Pakistani mullahs have at least 1 thing in common; use Islam for their political maneuvers.
@Freeman: Just because Hindus are doing it, does that gives "muslims" the right to do the same? Stop justifying your own crimes.
@Faisal Khan
"Rather than forcing their own beliefs on the host society,it is better to respect the ways of the people who have allowed you to enter and live in their country."
Come on. I understand you are influenced by liberal dogmas;but sorry, your liberalism is misplaced.My humble suggestion is, have a look @Chilli's post again, who says,
"Its not about Rome or otherwise, its about land of Allah which is the whole earth where Muslims should practice Islam and its teaching. No matter how wrong one can be about Islam,......" He has hit the right cord, 'its about land of Allah which is the whole earth'.That's the moot point.Who is hosting whom? who you think has the authority to allow you to enter and live in their country? When whole earth belongs to Allah who are they to tell you how you should live your life. To cut a long story short, we the children of Allah can do anything we like where ever we like as long as we like and rest of the world have to accept that.Period.
Jihad has to waged on any Kaffirs if they prevent Muslims from practicing or spreading their religion. France is afraid about the spread of Islam. Inshallah in due course Muslims will rule France and teach these infidels a lesson.
@Umer "French are learning fast how to misuse religion from Muslims countries."
Good for the French.Hope other non Islamic countries learn fast as well.
@Falcon "The beauty of modern society is diversity and diversity is not a matter of killing the differences but accommodating the differences."
Absolutely correct.But tell that to the Islamic countries.They are the ones who need it more.
@Chilli How silly you can be! You say.....
".....but Allah promised that the Islam will eventually become a dominant religion of the world." It's not a mere 'dominant religion', it will be the only religion.That's the destiny of Islam. You need a refresher course in religion.
Muslims in a muslim majority country are very capable of mistreating all minorities. Name a muslim majority country which treats its minorities in a non discriminatory fashion. Of course when muslims are a minority, even less than 10 percent of the population of a country, they start demanding rights which were unheard of in their home countries. Witness Abu Qatada in UK costing millions of pounds of public money a year demanding rights which are unheard of in Islamic countries!
This news is about the both Muslim Halal and jewish Kosher. I saw nom of the coments about Jewish but everyone is talking only about the Muslim. This shows clearly how discriminiated this world became against Muslims.
Lots of Hundus commenting here but they did not mentioned either about jew.
If you comment like this this mean you can't do justice with your comments. Instead its discrimination and shows clearly how low your mentality is.
@Shakky: Hindu's are also doing bad things with msulims and christians in India. Killing raping and forcefully coverting them Hindu.
Muslims living in Muslim majority countries really have no basis to be condemning the French. After all, the French are just doing what the Muslim majorities do in their own countries on a daily basis - discriminating against other religions. Just ask any Ahmadi, Hindu, or Christian in Pakistan.
Muslims are minority in France and asking for accommodations. They can only ask for such accommodations if they offer similar accommodations to other minorities in their own home land. This is where they fail and come out as hypocrite.
@Umer: Hi is there any doubt? Unless we study the Holy Quraan, the Sunnah and KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID! we will get nowhere. It is pointless splitting hairs when one need not. As the saying goes "Do your best and leave the rest". Let us not complicate this sweet religion PLEASE!
@Falcon:
True.That is why Pakistan is treating their hindu brothers so well
Islamophobia increasing each day in France. Does the french PM know that Halal method of salughter is less painful to the animal as compared to electrocuting the poor animal? If you dont believe try giving yourself an electric current and then give yourself a cut on the throat when shaving. The cut on the throat is much less painful as compared to the electric shock (even though more blood may be lost from the cut)
If the french PM is really a friend of animals, he should ban the stunning methods (of electric shock) and advocate a slaughter only system.
Instead of living in ghettos made up of only of one's own community immigrants should try and integrate into their new society.Rather than forcing their own beliefs on the host society,it is better to respect the ways of the people who have allowed you to enter and live in their country.
@ajmal malik: This is also a convenient excuse for giving up what you believe in. The beauty of modern society is diversity and diversity is not a matter of killing the differences but accommodating the differences.
French are learning fast how to misuse religion from Muslims countries.
Its not about Rome or otherwise, its about land of Allah which is the whole earth where Muslims should practice Islam and its teaching. No matter how wrong one can be about Islam, but Allah promised that the Islam will eventually become a dominant religion of the world.
" When in Rome,do as the Romans do " .