France has decided to ban 4 Muslim scholars from entering its territories. The four scholars are : Egyptian Sheikh Safwat Hegazy , a former mufti of Jerusalem Akrama Sabri, Saudi clerics Ayed Bin Abdullah Al-Qarni and Abdullah Basfar.
In a joint statement by French minister of foreign affairs Alain Juppe and minister of interior Claude Gueant we know that there are banned from entering France because “These people's positions and statements calling for hatred and violence seriously damage republican principles and, in the current context, represent a serious threat to public order”. The decision is taken after the Toulouse massacre shocking events.
The ministers wanted also to ban Tarek Ramadan from entering France as well but French government can’t do it because he is a Swiss European citizen.
Ramadan , Hegazy and the rest were invited to attend some conference organized by the Union of Islamic Organizations in France (UOIF) in early April.It is worth to mention that UOIF issued a statement condemning the Toulouse massacre describing it as it an act of terrorism that got no religion.
Now officially there are 5 high profile Muslim scholars/Sheikhs banned from entering France. France has already decided to ban Sheikh Youssef El Qaradawy from entering its territories. Strangely the Muslim brotherhood did not unleash attack on France like UAE , they are surely busy with their feud with SCAF and there is no French version from Dubai police chief Khalafan !!
Already Hegazy if I am not mistaken that he is banned from entering Britain as 
Also I think Sheikh Sabri of Jerusalem is banned because of anti-Zionist anti-Jewish opinions when it comes to Al Aqsa Mosque. I do not know much about Al-Qarni and Basfar to be honest.
Banning these sheikhs will not solve the problems of radicalism because honestly I do not think radicals from Muslims listen to someone like Sheikh Youssef El Qaradawy or even someone like Safwat Hegazy.
I do not know but I feel it has do with the elections season more than the horrible Toulouse massacre and how Sarkozy is using Islamophobia to get more votes. There is no doubt that I have seen this coming when the French authorities announced that the serial killer of Toulouse massacre was a Muslim man. There will be a campaign against Muslims in French led by the right wing in France that found a golden mine against French Muslims and Muslim immigrants."Sarko’s UMP is center right party”
This decision will increase the gap unfortunately between French Muslims and France as well the Muslims in general especially in the Arab world and France. Already today I found a friend of mine who is a liberal describing the decision of France as racist especially France battle with Niqab is still in our mind.
ألسنتهم طويلة في العرب بس
ReplyDeleteWhy didn't they criticise France in the same way that they kicked up a storm over the UAE...??
And preparing for the elections is a rubbish excuse, they know how and when to be loud when they want to.
They just want to kowtow to those on the Northern shores of the Mediterranean and disrespect those who they 'believe' they are superior to - and actually have nothing to show for it.
Going back to the UAE, the UAE allowed them to keep their money in its banks and to invest when they were being persecuted in their own country!
Disgraceful.
Al-Qarni's book 'Do not be sad' was a bestseller in France amongst its North African Muslims.
ReplyDeleteHe also visited Algeria and was well received and his lecture tour sold out.
I think Qaradawi's mental acumen isn't what it used to be, he was severely criticised by Mahmoud Abbas at the opening ceremony of the Arab League summit in Baghdad (not by name) for his edict forbidding the visiting of Jerusalem by non-Palestinian Muslims.
I don't know why they banned Basfar, he also went to Algeria and was warmly received and conducted charity work in Chad...
@Zeinobia "I do not think radicals from Muslims listen to someone like Sheikh Youssef El Qaradawy" Oh come on, Z. Who are you kidding? Who does listen to him then? He has an audience. He founded Islam Online. He has an Al Jazeera program with an audience of 60 million. He has published more than 120 books. The MB loves him. What are you even talking about? Good lord.
ReplyDeleteYour liberal friend should look at racism in Arab countries (e.g. Shi'ite vs sunite, racism against Christians, Nubians,Berbers, Maronites, Alawites, Black Africans, Phillipines, Srilankans) and the list goes on and on, as a matter of fact slave trading is still well and alive in Arabia.
ReplyDeleteIf Muslims cannot adapt to Western ways, then they should stay in their country of origin.
Unfortunately, as a Frenchman, I can only say that Zenobia is right about the reasons. Regardless of the actual audience of these preachers (and I do regard them as poisonous people too, by the way), the only reason this measure was taken is for the conservatives in power to steal badly needed votes from the nationalist and populists. By pleasing the numerous islamophobic in France, they hope to save the May Presidential election which could be one of the most stinging defeat for the conservative right. Now this said, I do think that the French government is perfectly right to ban hateful preachers to enter the territory, whichever their religion. France is a completely secular state and maybe the most so on the planet. Why on earth would we accept these people? They can only mean trouble.
ReplyDeleteIf Westerners don't like Muslims who don't adapt to their ways, then they should accept having their products boycotted.
ReplyDeleteThe West should really step up measures against Islamic radicals. Take for example Hazem Salah Abu Ismail. He announced to make wearing the veil mandatory for Egyptian women in case of being elected. He would ban the consumtion of alcohol in public, even for tourists. Abu Ismail advocates the closure of gambling casinos, which are currently reserved for foreign visitors. Tourists wearing two-piece swimsuits should be arrested ...
ReplyDeleteSuch a guy should be banned from entering any Western country, even in case he is elected.
JB P
ReplyDeleteThe day when Catholic Priests who are implicated in the abuse of minors and whose doctrine, which is at times 'more' conservative than that of Muslims, are also banned from France, Muslims will be able to see this as a defence of French Republican values.
Until then it is quite simply a McCarthyesque Islamic witch hunt.
We can not ban our own citizens, that's the law. But if they are preaching hate speach, for instance, they are simply prosecuted, as is normal by French law. And extremist Catholics in France have been banned and much worse in the past. The French Republic has been build mostly in reaction to the power of the Catholic church and against it. At some point, Catholics priests who did not obey the new revolutionary order were simply executed. Obviously, France is a much more peaceful country, nowadays, but why would it accept hateful peopple from outside when we have already enough hateful people (of all faiths) inside? If Muslims can't see this as a defence of French secularist rules, I feel sorry for them. But all French Muslims I know are perfectly happy with that too. Secularism defends them too.
ReplyDeleteAs for the other brave anonymous above, I don't mind Salafists boycotting French products. Sincerely, who cares? They are not really the target group for French wines, French luxury goods, French cheese or French delicatessen, don't you think? And i am certainly happy we don't sell them planes or weapons...
After the proposed law which was supported by Sarkozy, criminalising denial of the Armenian genocide, nothing would surprise me in France.
ReplyDeleteUnspoken history: The last genocide of the 20th century
Despite evidence to the contrary, France still completely denies involvement in two of Africa's 20th century genocides.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/01/201211871746225899.html
Turks have a bloody history throughout the Middle East and have committed atrocities towards Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Armenians, Kurds, Greeks, Palestinians,etc, yet they deny these facts in their school books and to their people in general.
Delete@AnonymousMar 30, 2012 06:46 AM, Zeinobia said clearly what the reason for exclusion was: "“These people's positions and statements calling for hatred and violence seriously damage republican principles and, in the current context, represent a serious threat to public order”. Nobody is being excluded for being what you call "conservative" whatever you mean by that.
ReplyDeleteIn France if you abuse minors you go to jail, and whether you are Catholic or Muslim has nothing to do with it. France is a civilized country.
I believe that the Armenian genocide law is really off topic. But imho, it was a very stupid one, poorly thought through and obviously in contradiction with the French Constitution. The Conseil Constitutionel was very right to strike it down and I don't think it will ever pass again. This said, with French conservatives, you ever know. Most of them are incompetent.
ReplyDelete