A women wearing a hijab in Paris. In 2004, French authorities banned schoolchildren from wearing 'signs or outfits' which show a religious affiliation. Reuters
A women wearing a hijab in Paris. In 2004, French authorities banned schoolchildren from wearing 'signs or outfits' which show a religious affiliation. Reuters
A women wearing a hijab in Paris. In 2004, French authorities banned schoolchildren from wearing 'signs or outfits' which show a religious affiliation. Reuters
A women wearing a hijab in Paris. In 2004, French authorities banned schoolchildren from wearing 'signs or outfits' which show a religious affiliation. Reuters

French politicians back school head who quit in veil row


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French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Wednesday defended secularism in the country after the resignation of a Paris school principal who received death threats after asking an adult Muslim student to remove her veil on the premises.

The state will also file a complaint against the student over falsely accusing the headmaster of mistreatment during the incident in late February, said Mr Attal, a former education minister.

“The state … will always stand with these officials, those who are on the front line faced with these breaches of secularism, these attempts of Islamist entryism in our education establishments,” he told TF1 TV channel.

According to Le Monde, the Education Ministry released a statement saying it would “never” abandon teachers in the face of “threats”, adding that the principal's decision to leave his post was “understandable given the seriousness of the attacks against him”.

Secularism and religion are hot-button issues in France, which is home to Europe's largest Muslim community.

In 2004, authorities banned schoolchildren from wearing “signs or outfits by which students ostensibly show a religious affiliation” such as headscarves, turbans or kippas on the basis that the country's secular laws are meant to guarantee neutrality in state institutions.

The government last year said it was also banning the abaya – a garment worn by Muslim women that covers the body from the neck to the feet – in schools.

The headmaster's departure comes amid deep tension in the country after incidents including the killing of a teacher by an Islamist former pupil last year.

The principal at the Maurice Ravel lycee in eastern Paris quit after receiving death threats online following an altercation with a student last month, officials told AFP on Tuesday.

On February 28, he had asked three students to remove their headscarves on school premises, but one of them – an adult who was at the school for vocational training – refused and an altercation ensued, according to prosecutors.

In a message to the school's staff, quoted by French communist daily L'Humanite, the principal said he had made the decision to leave for his “safety and that of the school”.

Education officials said he had taken “early retirement”.

Mr Attal said the headmaster had been due to retire in June, and decided to leave a little earlier.

The student lodged a complaint against the principal, accusing him of mistreating her during the incident.

She told French daily Le Parisien that she had been “hit hard on the arm” by the headmaster.

But the Paris prosecutor's office on Wednesday told AFP that her complaint had been dismissed.

An investigation has been opened into cyber harassment after the death threats against the headmaster.

Politicians from across the spectrum on Wednesday said they were shocked by the resignation.

“It's a disgrace,” Bruno Retailleau, the head of the right-wing Republicans faction in the Senate upper house, said on X.

Boris Vallaud, the head of the Socialist deputies in the National Assembly lower house, told television broadcaster France 2 the incident was “a collective failure”.

Marion Marechal, the granddaughter of far-right patriarch Jean-Marie Le Pen and a far-right politician herself, spoke on Sud Radio of a “defeat of the state”.

Maud Bregeon, a politician with President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance party, also took aim at “an Islamist movement”.

“Authority lies with school heads and teachers, and we have a duty to support this educational community,” Ms Bregeon said.

Socialist Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo called the principal to “assure him of her total support and solidarity”, said her office, adding she was “appalled and dismayed”.

Education Minister Nicole Belloubet visited the school in early March and deplored the “unacceptable attacks”.

A 26-year-old man has been arrested for making death threats against the principal on the internet. He is due to stand trial in April.

The uproar comes as dozens of French schools have received attack threats in recent weeks.

Mr Attal has pledged to “hunt down” those responsible for sending them.

Two brothers aged 17 and 19 were arrested on Thursday in a western Paris suburb as part of an investigation into terrorist threats against 130 secondary schools, media network BFM TV reported.

One of the messages said: “I have decided with my Islamic State brothers to explode everything.”

About 50 schools in Paris received bomb threats on Wednesday, some including a “very violent video”, education authorities said.

The mayor's office said classes were briefly interrupted for security checks.

Mr Attal pledged to increase security, including near schools, after ISIS claimed responsibility for killing 137 people at a Moscow concert on Friday.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Cairo Statement

 1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations

2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred

3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC  

4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.

5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.

6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security

Results

5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions Dh90,000 2,200m

Winner: Mudaarab, Jim Crowley (jockey), Erwan Charpy (trainer).

5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh70,000 1,400m

Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Richard Mullen, Hassan Al Hammadi.

6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden Dh80,000 1,600m

Winner: Salima Al Reef, Jesus Rosales, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige Dh100,000 1,600m

Winner: Bainoona, Ricardo Iacopini, Eric Lemartinel.

7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige Dh125,000 1,600m

Winner: Assyad, Victoria Larsen, Eric Lemartinel.

8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1 Dh5,000,000 1,600m

Winner: Mashhur Al Khalediah, Jean-Bernard Eyquem, Phillip Collington.

Fifa%20World%20Cup%20Qatar%202022%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFirst%20match%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2020%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinal%2016%20round%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDecember%203%20to%206%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EQuarter-finals%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDecember%209%20and%2010%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESemi-finals%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDecember%2013%20and%2014%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFinal%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDecember%2018%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What is the FNC?

The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning. 
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval. 
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
 

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MATCH INFO

Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')

Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')

Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)

DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENetflix%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKris%20Fade%2C%20Ebraheem%20Al%20Samadi%2C%20Zeina%20Khoury%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
TOURNAMENT INFO

Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier

Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November

UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi

Bullet%20Train
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20Leitch%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Brad%20Pitt%2C%20Aaron%20Taylor-Johnson%2C%20Brian%20Tyree%20Henry%2C%20Sandra%20Bullock%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Brief scores:

Manchester City 3

Bernardo Silva 16', Sterling 57', Gundogan 79'

Bournemouth 1

Wilson 44'

Man of the match: Leroy Sane (Manchester City)

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Updated: March 28, 2024, 12:51 PM`