A contender for the French presidency has been accused of exploiting community tensions by falsely claiming that all the meat delivered in the Paris region is slaughtered according to halal procedures.
The row offers further signs that Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader of the Front National (FN), is abandoning attempts to appear more moderate than her father and predecessor, Jean-Marie, whose remarks led to convictions for racist language.
In the past, Miss Le Pen has claimed to be against the "Islamification" of France rather than anti-Islam.
But as the elections approach, she has become more strident, on one occasion comparing Muslims praying in French streets, when unable to worship in crowded mosques, to the Nazi occupation during the Second World War.
In the latest controversy, her party intends to go to court complaining of "misrepresentation", on the grounds that the industry or official regulators - the legal action is "against X", meaning no defendant is identified - were failing to inform Parisians they were buying halal meat.
Those who disapprove of halal methods cite the failure to stun animals before slaughter. Miss Le Pen says that if elected - not considered a likely outcome - she would make this illegal.
Even when doubt was cast on the truth of her claims about meat sold in the Paris region, she persisted with the charge that the French government had deceived the public.
Ms Le Pen lags behind both Nicolas Sarkozy, seeking his second term as president, and Francois Hollande, the socialist front-runner, in the polls. She has only three weeks to secure the 500 mayors' signatures needed to stand.
In the halal controversy, she seized on a television report that said all slaughterhouses in the Ile de Paris region, with the exception of one handling only pork, killed livestock according to halal custom.
She interpreted this as meaning all the meat distributed in greater Paris was "unbeknown to the consumer, exclusively halal meat", adding: "This is a real deception. The government has been aware of it for months."
But Mr Sarkozy, supported by industry leaders, pointed out that the three abattoirs featured in the report in fact supplied only 2.5 per cent of the Paris region's needs, the rest being distributed elsewhere in France. The percentage included kosher as well as halal meat.
The president said Miss Le Pen had her facts wrong and had created an artificial controversy. He asked: "To throw suspicion on craftsmen, merchants, breeders to win few votes, is that to be the level of debate?"
However, the FN leader merely modified her attack saying it remained true that all meat distributed in the region could be suspected of being halal. Without clear labelling, she said, "neither you nor I know which is halal and which is not".
This prompted the left-of-centre news magazine Nouvel Observateur to award her three "Pinocchios", its highest level of rebuke for public figures and reserved for a "gross error or premeditated lie with malice. The conservative Le Figaro also denounced the FN for provoking a "false scandal". Ajib.fr, a news website aimed at French Muslims, reported this week on the case of a journalist, Claire Checcaglin, who infiltrated FN for eight months and found "commonplace or even obsessional racism against Islam".
In the run-up to the election, which starts with the first round on April 22, Miss Le Pen has been keen to attract disillusioned voters from Mr Sarkozy's centre-right UMP party.
Opinion polls still indicate that the likeliest winner is Mr Hollande, with his party well-placed to take legislative power in parliamentary elections.
The latest survey, by the CSA polling institute, puts Mr Hollande narrowly ahead of Mr Sarkozy for the first round with Miss Le Pen eliminated, but on 56 per cent, a lead of 12 points, for the May 6 decider.
Voting intentions vary in different parts of France. A poll conducted for the newspaper La Voix du Nord found 25 per cent of respondents in its area of northern France would definitely or probably vote for the FN.
Most French Muslims, estimated to number five million to seven million though no official records are kept, might be expected to vote for the socialists, but this is open to doubt.
Mohammed Moussaoui, president of the French Muslim Council (CFCM), said recently he did not believe there was any such thing as a "Muslim vote" in France.
"The Muslim community is crossed by the same political currents that run through the national community," he said in a radio interview. "We are a body representing the Muslim faith, we have no instructions to give to our citizens. We respect their political choices."
However, Mr Moussaoui also spoke of rising Muslim concern about the far right. "There is a minority of people who try to poison the lives of our citizens. Anti-Muslim acts have increased this year by almost 30 per cent, notably in the desecration of mosques.
"I believe in the rule of law. All citizens should feel safe, protected, respected. What worries us is that the ideas of this party are gaining momentum across our society and our country".
Yesterday, French media reported that "the polemic launched by Miss Le Pen" had cost her party a senior figure. Paul Lamoitier is an FN councillor for the northern region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais, where - as a wholesale butcher - he is also one of the leading suppliers of halal meat.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
*With additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
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Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Power: 905hp
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The specs: 2018 Audi Q5/SQ5
Price, base: Dh183,900 / Dh249,000
Engine: 2.0L, turbocharged in-line four-cylinder / 3.0L, turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic / Eight-speed automatic
Power: 252hp @ 5,000rpm / 354hp @ 5,400rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,600rpm / 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy: combined 7.2L / 100km / 8.3L / 100km
Key facilities
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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Sun Feb 23 – Thu Feb 27, Al Amerat, Oman
The two finalists advance to the Asia qualifier in Malaysia in August
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Bahrain, Maldives, Oman, Qatar
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UAE, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
The biog
Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
David Haye record
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Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
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Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
