Candidate with the hijab is no longer backed by President Macron’s ruling party and is now running as an independent
08 June 2021 - 16:59
byElizabeth Pineau
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
French local election candidate Sara Zemmahi in the La Mosson market in Montpellier, France, on June 5 2021. Picture: REUTERS/YIMING WOO
Montpellier — Laboratory technician Sara Zemmahi was running to be a local councillor backed by President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling party until last month when it withdrew its support. Her transgression: wearing her hijab in a campaign poster.
The 26-year-old and the three other candidates who had been on the same ticket are now running as independents in the southern city of Montpellier under the slogan “Different but united for you”.
The affair erupted after the far-right seized upon the image as proof Macron was weak on protecting France’s secular values, and propelled Zemmahi into a national row over identity.
“We’re not giving up,” Zemmahi said, still wearing her hijab as she distributed campaign flyers in La Mosson, a low-income Montpellier district that is home to generations of Muslim immigrants from France’s former north African colonies.
In her first interview since she became embroiled in the national debate over the role of Islam in France, Zemmahi said she wanted to focus on promoting equal opportunities and fighting discrimination.
“This is my neighbourhood, I was born here,” she said. “The headscarf wasn’t an issue for the four of us.”
However, across much of France it is.
Zemmahi’s campaign photo split Macron’s LaRem party, reflecting deep divisions over how secular laws should be applied, notably after Islam emerged as the country’s second-biggest religion behind Catholicism.
For supporters of a strict interpretation of laïcité, France’s version of secularism, Islamic headwear has become a symbol of the politicisation of Islam, subjugation and resistance to the Republic’s vision of French identity.
Laïcité and identity will be central to the campaign battle ahead of the 2022 presidential vote. Opinion polls show far-right leader Marine Le Pen will be Macron’s biggest challenger.
Mahfoud Benali, who heads Zemmahi’s ticket, said France was changing.
“I’m in favour of elected officials who reflect society,” he said.
Zemmahi is not dogmatic about her headscarf. She often removes it at her laboratory for hygiene reasons. Zemmahi’s fellow candidates said the campaign photo was meant to illustrate how they reflected the local demographic.
The affair erupted after the number 2 in Le Pen’s Rassemblement National party questioned Macron’s credentials as a defender of secular values from what the president terms “Islamist separatism”.
“Is this how you fight separatism?” Jordan Bardella tweeted along with a copy of the flyer.
The LaRem line was that there should be no place for overt displays of religious symbols on electoral campaign documents, Stanislas Guerini, the party’s general secretary, responded. Shortly afterwards, he retracted its backing.
“The moment you wear a religious symbol on a campaign poster, it becomes a political act,” LaRem spokesperson Roland Lescure told Reuters. “I prefer that our candidates and our elected officials speak to all citizens.”
French law does not prohibit wearing the hijab or other religious symbols in images on election flyers.
LaRem legislator Coralie Dubost expressed regret at her party’s stance, saying: “She should have a place in our party whether she wears a headscarf or not.”
In the marketplace, housepainter Karim el Ameraouy wished Zemmahi luck.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Why identity matters in French elections
Candidate with the hijab is no longer backed by President Macron’s ruling party and is now running as an independent
Montpellier — Laboratory technician Sara Zemmahi was running to be a local councillor backed by President Emmanuel Macron’s ruling party until last month when it withdrew its support. Her transgression: wearing her hijab in a campaign poster.
The 26-year-old and the three other candidates who had been on the same ticket are now running as independents in the southern city of Montpellier under the slogan “Different but united for you”.
The affair erupted after the far-right seized upon the image as proof Macron was weak on protecting France’s secular values, and propelled Zemmahi into a national row over identity.
“We’re not giving up,” Zemmahi said, still wearing her hijab as she distributed campaign flyers in La Mosson, a low-income Montpellier district that is home to generations of Muslim immigrants from France’s former north African colonies.
In her first interview since she became embroiled in the national debate over the role of Islam in France, Zemmahi said she wanted to focus on promoting equal opportunities and fighting discrimination.
“This is my neighbourhood, I was born here,” she said. “The headscarf wasn’t an issue for the four of us.”
However, across much of France it is.
Zemmahi’s campaign photo split Macron’s LaRem party, reflecting deep divisions over how secular laws should be applied, notably after Islam emerged as the country’s second-biggest religion behind Catholicism.
For supporters of a strict interpretation of laïcité, France’s version of secularism, Islamic headwear has become a symbol of the politicisation of Islam, subjugation and resistance to the Republic’s vision of French identity.
Laïcité and identity will be central to the campaign battle ahead of the 2022 presidential vote. Opinion polls show far-right leader Marine Le Pen will be Macron’s biggest challenger.
Mahfoud Benali, who heads Zemmahi’s ticket, said France was changing.
“I’m in favour of elected officials who reflect society,” he said.
Zemmahi is not dogmatic about her headscarf. She often removes it at her laboratory for hygiene reasons. Zemmahi’s fellow candidates said the campaign photo was meant to illustrate how they reflected the local demographic.
The affair erupted after the number 2 in Le Pen’s Rassemblement National party questioned Macron’s credentials as a defender of secular values from what the president terms “Islamist separatism”.
“Is this how you fight separatism?” Jordan Bardella tweeted along with a copy of the flyer.
The LaRem line was that there should be no place for overt displays of religious symbols on electoral campaign documents, Stanislas Guerini, the party’s general secretary, responded. Shortly afterwards, he retracted its backing.
“The moment you wear a religious symbol on a campaign poster, it becomes a political act,” LaRem spokesperson Roland Lescure told Reuters. “I prefer that our candidates and our elected officials speak to all citizens.”
French law does not prohibit wearing the hijab or other religious symbols in images on election flyers.
LaRem legislator Coralie Dubost expressed regret at her party’s stance, saying: “She should have a place in our party whether she wears a headscarf or not.”
In the marketplace, housepainter Karim el Ameraouy wished Zemmahi luck.
“A veil doesn’t stop you being French,” he said.
Reuters
Merkel heir Armin Laschet boosts chancellorship bid with state win
Mario Draghi will find out if he has what it takes to save Italy’s poor South
EU submits Covid-19 vaccine supply plan to WTO
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most Read
Related Articles
Swiss anti-terrorism law worries human rights and legal experts
Norway wealth tax increases will trigger capital flight, finance minister says
Merkel heir Armin Laschet boosts chancellorship bid with state win
Published by Arena Holdings and distributed with the Financial Mail on the last Thursday of every month except December and January.