The New York times, June 23, 2009 Sarkozy Backs

The New York times, June 23, 2009

Sarkozy Backs Drive to Eliminate the Burqa

By DOREEN CARVAJAL

VERSAILLES, France — President Nicolas Sarkozy addressed Parliament on Monday, laying out a vision of France that included a withering critique of burqas as an unacceptable symbol of “enslavement.”

Speaking at the Palace of Versailles, Mr. Sarkozy confronted one of the most hotly debated social issues in France, saying there was no room in the republic for burqas, the garments that some Muslim women wear to cloak their bodies and faces.

“The issue of the burqa is not a religious issue. It is a question of freedom and of women’s dignity,” Mr. Sarkozy said. “The burqa is not a religious sign. It is a sign of the subjugation, of the submission, of women.”

To enthusiastic applause, he said, “I want to say solemnly that it will not be welcome on our territory.”

Mr. Sarkozy gave his speech, a sober, wide-ranging address, in the first presidential appearance before Parliament since Charles Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte’s in the 19th century.

Presidents had been barred from entering Parliament since 1875, to protect the independence of lawmakers. But reforms carried out last summer through Mr. Sarkozy’s party opened the way for him to speak to Parliament.

Mr. Sarkozy entered through rows of French guards with raised swords, then delivered an American-style state-of-the-nation address that sketched out his view of France’s future.

Though he also spoke at length about the economy, Mr. Sarkozy’s strongest comments were about burqas. France has the largest Muslim population in Western Europe, estimated at five million, and traditional Islamic garments have been a divisive issue, especially since 2004, when the country passed legislation  prohibiting head scarves and conspicuous religious symbols from public schools.

Mr. Sarkozy said that “in the republic, the Muslim religion must be respected like other religions.” But he declared, “the burqa is not welcome in France.” He added, “We cannot accept in our country women imprisoned behind bars, cut off from social life, deprived of identity.”

The president gave his support to a cross-party initiative by about 60 legislators who proposed that a parliamentary commission study the burqa and methods to combat its spread.

Mohammed Moussaoui, the president of France’s Representative Muslim Council, said he agreed with Mr. Sarkozy’s position on burqas, calling them “an extremely marginal phenomenon.” He said his group promoted a moderate version of Islam.

“When we meet women who wear it, we try to educate them, and explain to them that moderation is a better choice,” he said.

The council, however, has spoken out against the need to conduct a study on the burqa, saying that one would risk stigmatizing Islam and Muslims in France.

“We’d rather not have a commission on the subject,” Mr. Moussaoui said. “But if it was created, we will stay vigilant that French Muslims are not stigmatized, that the president’s words are respected.”

In his 45-minute address, Mr. Sarkozy, who is nearly halfway into his five-year term, also promised to create measures to alleviate the economic crisis, including a loan fund to finance the nation’s strategic priorities.

Warning that the crisis was not finished, he said, “We don’t know when it will end.” He pledged to guarantee the stability of the banking system and the “most fragile citizens, who are suffering the most.”

“I will not increase taxes,” he said, “because an increase in taxes would delay the end of the crisis, and because by increasing taxes, when we are at our level of taxation, we would not reduce deficits — we would increase them.”

Mr. Sarkozy also addressed the French notion of retiring at age 60, saying that by 2010, “all options will be examined,” including raising the retirement age.

Maïa de la Baume and Nadim Audi contributed reporting from Paris.