The head of French President Emmanuel Macron's political party has threatened to withdraw support for one of its own candidates in regional elections after she wore a headscarf for a campaign poster.
The threat from Stanislas Guerini, who helped to found Mr Macron's centrist movement in 2016, caused a rift within the governing Republic on the Move (LREM) party, with some MPs voicing open criticism.
Mr Guerini reacted on Monday to the election poster for Sara Zemmahi, an engineer who is standing for the party in the southern city of Montpellier in regional elections on June 20 and 27.
The picture of Ms Zemmahi, who is shown smiling in a white headscarf alongside three party colleagues, was tweeted by the deputy of France's far-right National Rally party, Jordan Bardella.
"Wearing ostentatious religious symbols on a campaign document is not compatible with the values of LREM," Mr Guerini wrote late on Monday in reply to Mr Bardella.
"Either these candidates change their photo or LREM will withdraw its support."
Government spokesman Gabriel Attal backed the ultimatum on France Inter radio on Tuesday.
Mr Attal said that "legally, nothing prevents someone standing in an election from displaying a religious symbol, in this case a headscarf".
But he said it was a "political choice" to have candidates who did not display their religious beliefs.
Analysts say Mr Macron has shifted to the right in recent months, with security and immigration set to be key issues in presidential elections next year.
His government is in the process of passing legislation to crack down on what he has termed "Islamist separatism".
This would give the state more power to vet and disband religious groups judged to be threats to the nation.
Polls show support for National Rally leader Marine Le Pen at historic highs as the main rival to Mr Macron, who was elected in 2017 promising to be neither left nor right.
France has a strict form of secularism called "laicite", which was born from more than a century of struggle for power between the state and the Catholic Church.
The law obliges state workers to respect strict religious neutrality and prohibits them from wearing religious symbols, such as a Muslim headscarf, a Jewish yamulka or a visible Christian cross.
But nothing prevents local elected figures from displaying their religion or prevents citizens from freely practising their faith.
One of Ms Zemmahi's fellow candidates in Montpellier said she should not be judged by what she chose to wear.
"I see Sara's abilities, I don't see what she's wearing," Mahfoud Benali, who is pictured with Ms Zemmahi on the poster, told France 3 television.
Local LREM National Assembly deputy Coralie Dubost also condemned Mr Guerini's ultimatum.
Ms Dubost described Ms Zemmahi as "a young woman engineer who does hours of charity work and who is involved in a party that has progressive values".
She said there was "a place for her with us", regardless of whether she wore a headscarf.
In a meeting of deputies on Tuesday, Mr Guerini reportedly admitted that replying directly to the far right was "an error".
"If some people have been upset, then I'm sorry," he said.
Last September, a Muslim student representative was boycotted by several right-wing deputies and one from Mr Macron's party when she attended a parliamentary hearing wearing a headscarf.
Debate has raged for years in France about whether the headscarf is a political statement, or simply a cultural sign and clothing choice adopted by many Muslim women.
More on France
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Hijab-wearing French influencer reflects on France’s latest hijab ban for minors
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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Scoreline
Australia 2-1 Thailand
Australia: Juric 69', Leckie 86'
Thailand: Pokklaw 82'
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Monday's results
- UAE beat Bahrain by 51 runs
- Qatar beat Maldives by 44 runs
- Saudi Arabia beat Kuwait by seven wickets
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Draw for Europa League last-16
Istanbul Basaksehir v Copenhagen; Olympiakos Piraeus v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Rangers v Bayer Leverkusen; VfL Wolfsburg v Shakhtar Donetsk; Inter Milan v Getafe
Sevilla v AS Roma; Eintracht Frankfurt or Salzburg v Basel; LASK v Manchester United
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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The%20specs
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
