French right-wing presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has refused to wear a headscarf for a meeting with the Lebanese Grand Mufti. In her statement, Le Pen said she would not cover herself up and cancelled the encounter.
After arriving, Le Pen was asked to wear a headscarf, but refused. According to AFP, Le Pen was given a veil by Mufti’s aides.
“You can pass on my respects to the Grand Mufti, but I will not cover myself up,” Le Pen told reporters.
#MarineLePen refuse de porter le voile au #Liban – https://t.co/mausNNzVUj via @Le_Figaro Bravo, refus de soumission 👏 pic.twitter.com/CfTrBU8Pub
— Lou Pastrouil (@Pastrouil) February 21, 2017
She added that at a meeting with Egypt’s Ahmed el-Tayeb, the Grand Imam of al-Azhar (a prestigious Sunni Islam title), back in 2015, she wasn’t asked to wear a headscarf.
The Grand Mufti’s press office said that Le Pen had been informed beforehand of their requirement, Reuters reports.
🇫🇷🇱🇧 Je rencontre ce matin le Patriarche maronite, le Cardinal Bechara Rahi, au siège du Patriarcat à #Bkerké au #Liban. pic.twitter.com/rZnCw161K8
— Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) February 21, 2017
The stunt still produced some praise on social media.
“Well done! You shouldn’t mix politics and religion,” one person wrote on Twitter.
Elle a bien fait; on ne mélange pas la politique et la religion 👍
Marine Le Pen refuse de porter le voile au Libanhttps://t.co/w8GDIywNp3— Stéphane C (@StphaneC1) February 21, 2017
“A woman is free and equal,” “Bravo,” “A woman does not have to hide her face in front of a man,” said others.
Bravo à Marine Le Pen, une femme courageuse qui ne se soumet pas aux diktats des uns et des autres. Le voile… https://t.co/Clj2KGyvLt
— Verrelle Pascal (@VerrelleP) February 21, 2017
“There are those who speak about women’s rights and there are those who actually defend them. Marine Le Pen,” another person wrote.
Il y a ceux qui parlent du droit des femmes et celle qui défend le droit des femmes #MarineLePen https://t.co/JRk5UbCK25 via @Le_Figaro
— Norbert Hekimian (@NorbertHekimian) February 21, 2017
Others wrote that it was just a “show” and she ought “to adapt” to the country which she was visiting.
“She had been warned, so it’s just a show! Pitiful!” wrote one person, while another added: “It is all an ‘art’ of politics.”
