Hollande insists Islam can co-exist with French valuesSeptember 8, 2016 - 16:54 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - President Francois Hollande said Thursday, September 8 that Islam could co-exist with secularism, warning that the anti-terror fight should not undermine French values, AFP reports. In a speech on terrorism and democracy in Paris he defended the country's Muslim minority following a vitriolic debate on the banning of the Islamic burkini swimsuit. "Nothing in the idea of secularism opposes the practice of Islam in France, provided it respects the law," Hollande said. Secularism was not a "state religion" to be used against other religions, he said, denouncing the "stigmatisation of Muslims." Mayors in around 30 French towns this summer cited the country's century-old secular laws in banning head-to-toe swimwear on their beaches, unleashing a furore. Several of the towns later revoked the bans after France's highest administrative court ruled they were a "serious" violation of basic freedoms. Hollande rejected calls by conservatives, including his arch-rival, former president Nicolas Sarkozy, for a ban on the burkini, saying it would be "unconstitutional." As to whether Islam can co-exist with a secular French state, like Christianity and Judaism do, he insisted: "My answer is yes, certainly." "The question the Republic must answer is: Is it really ready to embrace a religion that it did not expect to be this big over a century ago. There too, my answer is yes, certainly." Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. CSTO: Armenia has not participated in secretariat’s work recently Recently Armenia has not participated in the work of the secretariat of the CSTO, Imangali Tasmagambetov said. Meeting with U.S., EU not against third parties, says Armenia The meeting scheduled for April 5 is dedicated to strengthening of the Armenia-EU-US cooperation, Yerevan added. Ucom launches network modernization efforts in few regions of Armenia In particular, on March 28, the legacy Mobile Switching Subsystem will be replaced with a new one. |