But if you look inside a Catholic church on a Sunday, there are likely to be only a handful of worshippers and mostly pensioners; just as bad as in the UK.
This blew my mind: did you know Mary was married and that on All Souls Day, Catholics donât pray for unbelievers ! List of 2023 Christian Holidays & Printable Download - Unspoken Elements
I imagine so, certainly in some parishes. More visitors on the other days!
Interesting to note that Mosques in France have been funded by Algeria and Morocco. In UK, foreign funding mainly comes from Saudi and Iran and only to promote Wahhabi Islam - the most extreme version. The Saudis recruit very devout members of the community, take them to train as Imams in Saudi then send them back equipped with loads of âpropagandaâ. The growth of Islam in France is seen as a demographic issue.
Oh my, you can still learn something new here every day. I always knew that Guy Fawkes had tried to blow up parliament in 1605 but I had never realized that it was a Catholic run attack to oust the Protestants. Just for info, I found out today that when people refused to recognize the Pope, it was usually because they really believed they would get sent to Hell. A lot of history suddenly made sense to me. I thought they were just stubborn !
I think the ârepressedâ in brackets says a lot. These kids might be objecting because they prefer to dress modestly but it could be under pressure from family. Weâll never know since they are not encouraged to speak out!
Itâs also - as it was in Egypt forty years ago - a two fingers up to a westernised economy that wasnât doing a good job for a newly educated population where not everyone was reaping the benefits they had been told they would, and political dissent was conflated with adherence to a version of religion in the shape of eg the IkhwÄn.
When I lived in various Muslim countries years ago the hijab wasnât something people wore any more, how times have changed.
You may be interested to hear that Civitas (a Catholic fundamentalist group) has been dissolved by order today. They are an extreme-right traditionalist anti-republican organisation which became a political party a few years ago.
I read that 90% of Egyptian women are now veiled. I lived in Bangladesh and Pakistan in the 90s and back then, most women wore loose head scarves, full length skirts and kept their eyes down a lot. Their dresses were usually lovely colours, often long with matching trousers. I followed suit very quickly after lewd looks and comments ruined any outings. Many local women told me that was their choice too, just to feel safe. From what friends over there say now, half the women in both countries are in full black hijab but whether itâs because men demand it or they have become more devout or they feel even less safe than previously - who knows.
1 Like
He certainly knew how to cook the books. Born and baptised Catholic, turned Anglican at school, kept very quiet about everything till he could marry in Catholic church just because his previous weddings had been at the Town Hall so not recognized⌠Sort of a law unto himself !
Must confess the Civitas movement has not come into my line of sight until your comment⌠having now read a brief summary of why it has been dissolved today⌠such dissolution seems a good decision.
1 Like
Not wishing to embark on a touch of wahtaboutism, nevertheless I think Hebh would be better served focussing on Iranâs attitude rather than Franceâs. Her sisters are being beaten and murdered there over head wear. When sheâs got that sorted she can start to address the few people being a bit miffed by the rules here.
2 Likes
Her focus seems to be generally Palestinian, rather than Iranian or French, although she may well have commented on Iran too. France is an entirely legitimate target for her to comment apon, even if we donât agree with her or she is wrong in her statements and assumptions.
It seems she is living in New York,
The bravery of being out of range
1 Like
I would probably agree with at least some of her sentiments on the Palestinian situation, but I totally disagree with her commenting on the French headwear situation without putting it in context. It is being used as a means to subjugate millions of women and when a few get miffed in France she writes about it 
Some degree of perspective is required, or perhaps she doesnât feel comfortable taking on Iran or Saudi et al on the matter.
2 Likes
Well, thatâs true of every one of us on this forum!
1 Like
Like yourself, she seems to write about a lot of things.
I donât necessarily agree with all her comments in the article, but it looks to me like France is not being neutral about faith and she highlights how suppressing something that can be a symbol of oppression in one place is actually suppression of right in this instance. Itâs an interesting conundrum.
I donât write for Aljazeera 
I donât think that holds water, in France people are being asked not to do something, in Iran, Saudi and many other Muslim states women are being forced to do something. And even were her, rather silly IMO, supposition be correct, should she not focus on the tens of millions that are being actively and physically supressed and not the handful that are moderatly miffedin France? Surely a ridiculas confusion of priorities.
Sheâs no problem taking an undeserved pop at France, but sheâs scared of âoffendingâ the real villans, Iran and Saudi (and others). If she has spoken out about the treatment of women who are being beaten and forced to wear the hijab, Iâll happily retract that statement. but other wise I think she a hypoctite.
Not sure what you mean by that? Do you mean itâs not âsurpressingâ all faiths equally? Maybe some faiths do need a bit more intervention than others. Some may be bumbling along, live and let live, sort of faiths and some may be agressive and want to force the State to comply with its beliefs, and thus need to be reigned in.
Our vision is not the same as that of anglo-saxons. We donât say we are âneutralâ we say we are laĂŻc, which means we do not admit the presence or influence of religion in the public sphere as I have said many many many times before. Where we are neutral is that we as a state donât care what your religion is, if you put on your religious kit to come to school, be it a kipa a turban a hijab a Plymouth Brethren headsquare a pastafarian colander you will be told to take it off and that is that. They are all the same to us, legally.
Iâm personally a lot more bothered by women not being allowed to wear some all-in-one kit on the beach when wetsuits are ok, because the beach is public, but not Public.
Edited to add you may be surprised to discover that by French standards Iâm actually quite mild about religion, much more tolerant than many of my colleagues.
4 Likes
I think Vero explains it much better than me - as one would expect since she understands from the inside.
1 Like