July 14, 2008
PARIS: In the latest clash between religion and secular tradition in France, a court has denied citizenship to a Moroccan woman on the grounds that she practises a radical form of Islam that prevents her from assimilating into French culture.
In a recent ruling, the Conseil d’Etat, France’s highest court, dismissed an appeal by Faiza Mabchour to recognise her right to become French because she was married to a Frenchman.
Upholding a judgment from 2005, the court said that while Ms Mabchour spoke fluent French, her religious practices were “not compatible with the essential values of the French community, notably the principle of gender equality”.
The court based its decision on immigration police reports saying Ms Mabchour acted submissively before her husband and, during questioning, wore a garment that fully covered her body and concealed her face, a court official said.
Many devout Muslim women wear headscarves, but only a small minority hide the face, a custom often associated with the Salafi strain of Islam practised in Saudi Arabia.
The ruling is the latest chapter in France’s struggle to square its secular ideals with the traditional and religious beliefs of Europe’s largest Muslim community.