French Muslim student in limelight over headscarf
May 24: Maryam Pougetoux, a student at one of France's top universities has found herself at the centre of a media storm after she appeared in a documentary wearing a headscarf.
She had appeared in the film to talk about student protests in the country, which have been ongoing since April this year.
The student activist is the president of the student union at Paris-Sorbonne IV University in the French capital.
It was not her thoughts on the protests that drew controversy, instead, it was the headscarf she wore while being filmed.
Since the interview, she has been criticised by French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb, who said the appearance was "shocking" and accused Pougetoux of wanting to proselytise her religion.
French Equality Minister Marlene Schiappa also weighed in, calling Pougetoux's choice of headwear a "manifestation of political Islam".
The student defended her decision to wear the scarf in an interview with Buzzfeed, in which she said her headscarf had "no political function" and that her religion did not affect her ability to perform her duties as the union president.
"When I defend students, I do not ask myself about their skin colour, their sexual orientation, their philosophy of life," she told the news outlet.
The coverage has sparked intense debate in France, which has, in the past decade and a half, witnessed several major controversies over what Muslim women wear.
In 2004, legislators passed a law banning the display of religious symbols in schools, which included the headscarf. University students, however, are still allowed to wear headscarves.
In 2010, the country introduced a ban on the face covering worn by a small minority of Muslim women, known as the niqab.
Later in 2016, an image of French police officers in southern France asking a Muslim woman to remove a burkini swimsuit, which covers much of the body and hair went viral.
The officials were acting to enforce a locally implemented ban on the dress but also ended up targeting women who were deemed to be covering excessively.
France's highest administrative court struck down the bans, declaring them a violation of "fundamental liberties".
Advocates of restrictions on Muslim religious clothing say they are ensuring the separation of religious and public life or protecting the French brand of secularism, which is known as Laicite.
However, Muslim civil liberties activists say the restrictions are influenced by prejudice towards Muslims and other communities.
"Maryam Pougetoux has again showed that France has a deep problem with its own minorities and an even bigger one if they dare to speak in public," said activist Yasser Louati.
"Thanks to this controversy, the whole country forgot why she spoke in the first place and the mobilised the students she represented," he added.
He went on to say the controversy would not be the last to involve the headscarf.
courtesy : www.aljazeera.com
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Raphinha apologizes for gesture toward Atletico fans after Barcelona's Champions League elimination
Madrid (AP): Barcelona forward Raphinha has apologized for his gesture toward Atletico Madrid fans after his team's elimination in the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Raphinha, who didn't play on Tuesday because of a hamstring injury, also criticized the refereeing, making the “robbed” sign with his hands, and later told reporters that Barcelona was “robbed" over the two legs.
The Brazil star is likely to face punishment from UEFA for his actions at the Metropolitano stadium.
While still on the field, he gestured toward Atletico supporters and made a gesture apparently indicating that the rival will be eliminated in the next round. He appeared to tell fans “you are out."
“I apologize for my gesture, which does not reflect my values ??or character,” Raphinha said on Wednesday in a comment to a DAZN post that showed him gesturing to the crowd. "It was an act in a moment of tension, in response to a fan who was disrespecting me.”
Barcelona, seeking to return to the semifinals of the Champions League for the second season in a row, won 2-1 on Tuesday but it wasn't enough to overcome a 2-0 loss at home in the first leg last week.
Atletico goalkeeper Juan Musso said it was nonsense for Raphinha to say Barcelona was robbed.
“I respect everyone's opinion, but let's not say that it was a robbery, because it wasn't like that,” Musso said. "We won it on the field. We won 2-0 on the road. It's a team that we respect a lot and are very motivated to play against. It's a great team, but I think that to talk about robbery is just crazy.”
Raphinha did not immediately apologize for his comments about the refereeing.
“To me, it was robbed',” he told reporters on Tuesday. “Not only this match, but the other one as well. The refereeing was very bad. Incredible the decisions that they made. Atletico made a lot of fouls and the referee didn't show a single yellow card.”
Other players also criticized the refereeing over the two legs.
President-elect Joan Laporta said Wednesday that the refereeing was “shameful” and “inadmissible,” and said the club planned to present a formal complaint with UEFA.
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