Macron makes appearance alongside Muslim scientist to shore up support after elections defeat
French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday attended the Generation Equality Forum in Paris where he appeared on stage alongside a scientist donning a hijab, prompting observers to question whether it was part of a stunt on the part of the embattled president following a dismal showing for his party at the regional elections held last […]
Macron makes appearance alongside Muslim scientist to shore up support after elections defeat
French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday attended the Generation Equality Forum in Paris where he appeared on stage alongside a scientist donning a hijab, prompting observers to question whether it was part of a stunt on the part of the embattled president following a dismal showing for his party at the regional elections held last week.
The forum, which is a global gathering for gender equality organized by UN Women, was attended by a number of inspiring female professionals who spoke on issues of discrimination and their experiences as women in their respective fields.
Towards the end of the event, Sudanese Dr. Maha Dawahi, the 2020 laureate of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science prize, took to the stage to speak about her experiences, and she was later followed by the French president, largely seen as a move to court Muslim voters after his party was shunned during the last round of elections.
Late last year, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a controversial plan, starting a fight against so-called “Islamist separatism” in the country.
Macron said in his address in the city of Les Mureaux that Islam is a religion that is “experiencing a crisis across the world.”
He argued that “Islamic separatism” was problematic, and added: “The problem is an ideology which claims its own laws should be superior to those of the republic.”
France’s Senate, with 251 votes to 27, adopted a controversial bill early Wednesday aimed at “strengthening anti-terrorism measures” with provisions to shut down places of worship.
“I really don’t understand why we target women with headscarves (in France) and not other things,” lawmaker Annie Chapelier told parliament after one of Macron’s allies suggested France ban ballot box attendants from wearing religious symbols.
“Don’t make fake excuses to target and accuse women with headscarves that you don’t want to accept,” she said.