The Grand Mosque of Paris and the Rally of Muslims of France called for a vote for Emmanuel Macron through two press releases dated Wednesday April 13 and Friday April 15.
The rector of the Great Mosque of Paris, Chems-Eddine Hafiz, judged that “abstention and the white vote will strengthen the far right”. He also said, in a video shared on social media, that “malicious forces are speaking out today calling for the banishment of Muslims.”
“How to react to this malevolence that is becoming commonplace and taking hold in people’s minds?” he questioned before answering in stride: “By voting in the continuity of the Republic”.
Rector @ChemsHafiz calls to vote for @EmmanuelMacron the #24april2022.
“We do not have the right to mortgage the future of our children by remaining passive witnesses to an impending political catastrophe. Let’s vote Emmanuel Macron”. pic.twitter.com/RpBHwODpMK
— Great Mosque of Paris (@mosqueedeparis) April 15, 2022
“To vote is to exist. To vote is to assure the future generation, the dignity and the pride that we do not have the right to mortgage, (like) the future of our children, by remaining passive witnesses of an imminent political catastrophe. added the rector.
The latter considered that democratic functioning “does not prevent hateful and misleading speeches” against Muslims. An “extreme and dangerous” posture which could “lead to a historical drama”, added Chems-Eddine Hafiz, before concluding by encouraging people to vote for the candidate of La République en Marche.
PRESS RELEASE – The Federation of the Great Mosque of Paris calls for #vote for @EmmanuelMacron the #24april2022 in the 2nd round of the#election presidential: pic.twitter.com/2fv8jULoVu
— Great Mosque of Paris (@mosqueedeparis) April 15, 2022
For its part, the Rally of Muslims of France (RMF) assured “to be aware of the obligation of political neutrality required by their mission”, while considering that it is important “to act as responsible citizens”. .
All united against#Far right No to #MLP the #24April Let’s vote for freedom #IVoteMacron @Le_CRIFHave@fsjuHave@ConsistoireFrHave@RMF_officialHave@FJFFoundationHave@Macron2022 pic.twitter.com/fkbGZowJd3
— Gil Taieb. (@GilTaieb) April 14, 2022
This is the reason why he called on Wednesday “to vote for Emmanuel Macron” to allow France to “preserve republican principles and consolidate the values of openness, tolerance and solidarity which have always animated” the country.
The veil at the heart of the debate
These positions put forward by the two Muslim federations in favor of the outgoing president directly echo the recent declarations of Marine Le Pen. The latter recently made it known that she wanted to “ban the veil in public space” which, according to her, “is an Islamist uniform used by Islamic fundamentalists to serve a totalitarian ideology”.
A point in her program that the candidate of the National Rally had insisted on recalling at the microphone of FranceInfo, on April 8, after being strongly criticized, in particular by Eric Zemmour and his supporters, for having been photographed in the company of a young woman who wore a veil.
During his trip to Le Havre the day before, Emmanuel Macron also spoke about wearing the veil. Although he reaffirmed his desire to want to maintain neutrality within public services such as at school, where the veil is absent, the current President of the Republic nevertheless made it clear that he did not see inconvenience outside these frameworks.
“In the street, that a young girl carries the track, is not in my eyes a problem, if it is her choice. What I don’t want is for it to be suffered, ”he said on Thursday.