Senior French officials have rallied behind Karim Bouamrane, a prominent mayor of Moroccan origin, in response to remarks widely viewed as racist by a researcher who said he is “Muslim in appearance” and suggested his popularity comes from his refusal to comment on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
This highlights deep divisions within France's left-wing parties, with some seeking to capitalise on the Gaza war to boost support among Muslim voters while others, including the socialist mayor, Mr Bouamrane, have adopted a more cautious stance.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is an explosive topic in France, which hosts the biggest Muslim and Jewish populations in Europe. The October 7 Hamas attacks against Israel and the ensuing Israeli military offensive against Gaza, and more recently Lebanon, have caused an increase in racist attacks.
This became evident when Pascal Boniface, director of the international and strategic relations (IRIS) think tank, wrote on X that Mr Bouamrane had become a popular figure because he refused to criticise Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mr Bouamrane, the mayor of the Paris suburb of Saint-Ouen, was one of several figures who was offered this summer the job of Prime Minister after snap elections but turned it down.
Mr Boniface said: “Honestly I wonder about this man whom I don't know personally. Is he an example of meritocracy? Well done! Or is he being used like a Muslim in appearance who doesn't criticise Netanyahu and therefore benefits from a big media promotion. I'm waiting to see.”
Mr Bouamrane responded by saying it was important to fight against stereotypes. “Muslim in appearance … this is how a researcher describes me and definitively disqualifies himself. The fight against essentialisation continues!”
Mr Boniface left the Socialist party in 2001 after the leak of one of his notes on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“Assigning an identity goes against our Republican pact,” said Minister delegate for European affairs Benjamin Haddad, a member of President Macron's political party, Renaissance.
Deputy mayor of Paris, Lamia el Aaraje, also a socialist politician of Moroccan origin, accused Mr Bouamrane's critics of “denying [him] the right to exist or think independently outside of the religious assignation in which they dream of locking us in”.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
What's in the deal?
Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
Racecard
6.35pm: The Madjani Stakes – Group 2 (PA) Dh97,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
7.10pm: Evidenza – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,200m
7.45pm: The Longines Conquest – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 2,000m
8.20: The Longines Elegant – Conditions (TB) Dh82,500 (D)
8.35pm: The Dubai Creek Mile – Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 1,600m
9.30pm: Mirdif Stakes – Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,400m
10.05pm: The Longines Record – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,900m
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The five pillars of Islam
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 640hp
Torque: 760nm
On sale: 2026
Price: Not announced yet
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
Harry%20%26%20Meghan
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on Quran memorisation:
