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PARIS. — The national identity crisis exposed by France’s burkini controversy is threatening to set the tone for the country’s presidential campaign.
Along with the economy, the relationship between France’s Muslims and non-Muslims has been a recurring theme as presidential hopefuls kick off campaigning for the April-May election. Some leftists say the far right is using the issue to encourage racism in France.
A top French court ruling on Friday against banning the burkini didn’t put an end to the debate. Some mayors are refusing to rescind their bans, arguing that the head-to-ankle swimwear could disrupt public order after a summer marred by Islamic extremist attacks.
The burkini bans by some French coastal towns drew international condemnation after images circulated online of police appearing to require a Muslim woman to dis- robe.
Former President Nicolas Sarkozy and other some other conservative candidates want a national law banning burkinis. Sarkozy’s chief rival for the conservative nomination, former prime minister Alain Juppe, struck a more conciliatory tone, saying on Europe-1 radio yesterday that such rhetoric “throws oil on the fire”.
But at a campaign event on Saturday in Chatou west of Paris, Juppe suggested putting limits on how far religious practices can reach into public life, calling for a special accord between the state and Muslim leaders to lay out clear rules for respecting French secularism. – AP.
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