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France: Veiled Muslim Woman Denied Citizenship

By ANGELA CHARLTON
Associated Press Writer

PARIS (AP) - The case started quietly, when a Muslim woman who sheaths herself in a head-to-toe veil was denied French citizenship because she had not assimilated enough into this society. France's highest body upheld the decision, and politicians across the spectrum agreed it was the right move.

A few dissenting voices, though, are now questioning whether the decision pushed France's secularist values too far.

"Where does it begin or end? What we are calling radical behavior?" asked Mohammed Bechari, president of the National Federation of French Muslims. "Will we see a man refused citizenship because of the length of his beard ... or a man who is dressed as a rabbi, or a priest?"

On June 27, France's highest administrative body, the Council of State, ruled that the woman, identified only as Faiza X, had "adopted a radical practice of her religion incompatible with the essential values of the French community, notably with the principle of equality of the sexes, and therefore she does not fulfill the conditions of assimilation" listed in the country's Civil Code as a requirement for gaining French citizenship.

The council said the decision to refuse her citizenship did not aim to "attack (her) freedom of religion."

But critics accuse the French justice system of breeding fear and intolerance of Islam under the guise of upholding secularism. The country is home to western Europe's largest Muslim population, estimated to be at least 5 million of the nation's 63 million people -- and growing.

French officialdom has struggled to instill secular traditions in Muslim immigrant communities, passing a law in 2004 barring the Islamic headscarf and other highly visible religious symbols from public schools. Proponents of that law welcomed the decision denying citizenship to Faiza X, who wears a niqab, or full-body veil, to her meetings with immigration officials.

"The burqa, it's a prison, a straitjacket," France's minister for urban affairs, Fadela Amara, herself born to Algerian parents, was quoted as saying.

The terms burqa and niqab are often used interchangeably in France, though the former refers to a full-body covering worn largely in Afghanistan with only a mesh screen over the eyes. An official state document said the woman wore a full-body niqab, which left her eyes uncovered.

"It is not a religious sign but the visible sign of a totalitarian political project preaching inequality between the sexes, and which carries within it the total absence of democracy," Amara was quoted as saying in the daily Le Parisien.

Amara told the paper she hoped extremists would get a strong message from the Council of State's ruling, which upheld immigration officials' refusal to grant citizenship to Faiza X.

The council's ruling did not refer to Faiza's niqab, which she said she adopted after arriving in France from her native Morocco, according to a report from a government commissioner to the Council.

The woman told immigration officials that she did not know anything about secularism or her right to vote, according to the commissioner's report. All the immigration officials handling her case were women. They asked her to remove her veil to identify herself, which she did only when no men were in the room, the report said.

Later, in a letter to immigration officials, the woman defended her lifestyle by noting that other immigrants granted French citizenship also maintain "ties with their culture of origin."

The woman and her husband told immigration officials that they adhere to Salafism, a strict strain of Islam.

Her statements to immigration officials indicate that "she leads a life almost of a recluse, cut off from French society," leaving the house only to walk with her children or visit relatives, the report said.

"She lives in total submission to the men in her family ... and the idea of contesting this submission doesn't even occur to her," the government report said.

Politicians on talk shows this week spoke out in support of the ruling. But Muslim groups had mixed reactions.

Mohammed Moussaoui, head of the moderate French Council for Muslim Communities, issued a cautious statement that did not come out strongly for or against the ruling. He said only that his group "rejects all forms of extremism and stigmas that would keep the Muslim component of the nation's society from living its spirituality in peace."

But Fouad Alaoui, vice president of the Union of Islamic Organizations of France, said, "It's a turning point in our judiciary that should make us think.

"I don't think that clothing is part of this country's values. Clothing is personal freedom."

Then he added, "On a personal level, I too am disturbed when I see a woman hide her face."

___

Associated Press writer Samantha Bordes contributed to this report.

AP-ES-07-16-08 1435EDT

South Africa: Mandela Group Declares Food Human Right

By DONNA BRYSON
Associated Press Writer

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AP) - Desmond Tutu, Kofi Annan and other members of Nelson Mandela's global crisis task force turned their attention to world hunger on Wednesday, focusing on soaring food prices.

The Nobel laureates and human rights activists the former South African president brought together as The Elders at his birthday last year have sent peace missions to the Middle East and Sudan's Darfur and spoken out against sham elections and political violence in Zimbabwe.

With the food crisis, they were taking on an issue that some experts say could lead to new wars, and that has touched all parts of the world, rich and poor.

Food riots have broken out in the poorest countries, and the crisis has set back efforts to lift Africa out of poverty.

Tutu, the Elders chairman and former Cape Town Anglican archbishop, called the right to food "fundamental."

Tutu -- speaking after the meeting to an audience that included British entrepreneur Richard Branson, a main supporter of The Elders -- said world leaders were wasting resources fighting terror instead of poverty.

"We have it in us to make this a better world, a caring world, a compassionate world in which everyone would enjoy the right to food and freedom from hunger," he said.

Another Elder, former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said the solution was not just humanitarian aid today, but steps to improve food security tomorrow.

Annan called for a focus on small-scale farmers. He encouraged banks and other lenders to extend services to small farmers so that they can afford fertilizer and other productivity-boosting measures and to help them take on the risks associated with expanding their enterprises.

He added governments needed to improve rural infrastructure, and scientists need to develop better seeds and improve soil in Africa, "the only continent that cannot feed itself."

Mandela, who turns 90 Friday, did not attend Wednesday's meeting, at which The Elders consulted with Olivier de Schutter, appointed by the U.N. last year to study the food crisis, and experts from the development group ActionAid International.

Along with Tutu and Annan, some of the Elders include former President Jimmy Carter; former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland; former Brazil President Fernando Cardoso; and former Irish President Mary Robinson.

___

On the Net:

http://www.theelders.org

AP-ES-07-16-08 1921EDT

Australia: Pope Benedict XVI Applauds 'Courage' in Apology to Aborigines

By ROHAN SULLIVAN
Associated Press Writer

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI praised the Australian government Thursday for its "courageous" apology to the country's indigenous Aborigines for past injustices, saying it offered hope to all the world's disadvantaged peoples.

The remarks came as the pope began a busy day of public appearances in Sydney that are expected to draw half a million people to Australia's largest city and its famous harbor.

At a ceremony officially welcoming him to Australia, Benedict said the country's original inhabitants were an essential part of its cultural landscape, and cited their plight since the first British convict settlers arrived 220 years ago.

"Thanks to the Australian government's courageous decision to acknowledge the injustices committed against the indigenous peoples in the past, concrete steps are now being taken to achieve reconciliation based on mutual respect," Benedict said.

He said it was right to try to raise Aborigines out of poverty and raise their health and education standards to the level of other Australians.

"This example of reconciliation offers hope to peoples all over the world who long to see their rights affirmed and their contribution to society acknowledged and promoted," the pope said.

In February, new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd formally apologized to Aborigines as one of his first official acts after taking power, and made closing the gap between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians a priority of his government.

Aborigines are an often-marginalized minority of about 450,000 in a population of 21 million. They are the country's poorest group, with the highest rates of unemployment, illiteracy, incarceration and alcohol abuse, and a life expectancy 17 years shorter than other Australians.

Benedict also praised Australia for contributing to foreign peacekeeping operations, and touched on the problem of global warming -- an issue he has signaled he wants Roman Catholics to think more about.

"With many thousands of young people visiting Australia at this time, it is appropriate to reflect upon the kind of world we are handing to the future generations," said Benedict, who has been dubbed the "green pope" by some observers.

Benedict emerged Thursday from three days of seclusion -- a short holiday to help the 81-year-old pontiff recover from the more than 20-hour trip from Rome -- to join World Youth Day, a six-day event designed to inspire a new generation of Roman Catholics.

More than 200,000 pilgrims have registered for the event, many from overseas. They thronged the city Thursday, bolstered by thousands of Sydneysiders who lined the harbor and city streets to see the pope pass by.

Earlier, Benedict was driven across the city's landmark harbor bridge to kneel in prayer at a chapel devoted to Mary MacKillop, who many Catholics here hope will be named Australia's first saint during the pope's visit.

Celebrated for her work caring for children last century, MacKillop was canonized in 1995 during the last visit to Australia by a pope.

Later, Aboriginal elders and dancers of the Gadigal people, wearing white ochre body paint and animal pelts, gave Benedict a ceremonial welcome. They shook eucalyptus fronds as a symbol of cleansing and good fortune while someone played a didgeridoo.

He then boarded a boat for a slow procession through the harbor. Surrounded by police boats and followed by a flotilla of private craft, the pope's large cruiser passed the Sydney Opera house to dock at a former cargo wharf where Benedict was to deliver an address to a huge crowd of pilgrims. He was to drive later through downtown in the popemobile -- a trip that virtually shut down parts of the city.

The contents of the pope's address have not been released by the Vatican. During the flight to Australia, Benedict told reporters he wanted to heal some wounds caused by sexual abuse by clergy -- a scandal that has dogged the church in recent years.

The pope's visit has triggered a fresh examination of the issue in Australia, a sour note to the festival that was made worse Wednesday when one of the key organizers, Bishop Anthony Fisher, said people should focus on the young pilgrims' goodness "rather than dwelling crankily ... on old wounds."

Victim support groups were angered by Fisher's remark.

Benedict's comments about Aborigines were not the first time a pope has recognized indigenous peoples.

In 2001, John Paul II issued a formal apology to the indigenous peoples of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific islands for injustices perpetrated by Catholic missionaries.

AP-CS-07-17-08 0208EDT

Haiti: Police Tear Gas Rally Marking Birthday of Ousted Leader, Aristide

By JONATHAN M. KATZ
Associated Press Writer

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) - Police fired tear gas to disperse protesters who had stormed past barricades near the National Palace during a rally marking the 55th birthday of ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on Tuesday.

Haitian police had erected barricades at the Champs de Mars, the central plaza of Port-au-Prince, to prevent demonstrators from reaching the National Palace, about two blocks away. But several hundred people surged through and were repelled by riot police firing tear gas.

The protest had until then been largely peaceful. It began when several hundred Aristide supporters gathered outside the ex-president's former home and swelled to several thousand as they marched across the capital chanting "We need Titid" -- Aristide's nickname.

After the tear gas was fired, thousands remained at the barricades, waving branches, blocking traffic and singing Nelson Ned's 1974 hit, "Happy Birthday My Darling," which was blasted from a speaker truck.

Organizers were angered by the police response and accused President Rene Preval of trying to silence their demonstration.

"He thinks he is secure because he is surrounded by rich people," Annette "So Ann" Auguste, a Lavalas executive committee member, said of Preval. "But when they throw him down, we'll be there to get him."

The protest was a reminder that Aristide and his Lavalas party retain political force in Haiti. Five thousand people joined a march marking the fourth anniversary of his ouster in February. Aristide escaped Haiti in 2004 amid a violent rebellion. He now lives in South Africa and accuses the U.S. of staging the coup that ousted him -- a charge the U.S. denies.

Tuesday's march was also meant to protest rising food prices, which have deepened poverty in Haiti, already the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere and prompted its Senate to dismiss the prime minister, said Mario Styr, one of Tuesday's lead demonstrators. At least seven people died during violent protests and looting sparked by climbing food costs in April.

Haiti's parliament has rejected two of Preval's nominees to replace the ousted prime minister and was expected to vote this week on a third candidate, Michele Pierre-Louis.

AP-CS-07-15-08 1754EDT

Malaysia: "Police Have no Case Against Me," Says Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim says police have no case against him to prove that he sodomized a young male aide.

Anwar says police should not use the allegation "as a personal vendetta against me."

Anwar was freed on bail Thursday after spending the night in a holding cell following an eight-hour interrogation in connection with the sodomy accusation made by the aide last month.

Anwar told reporters: "Mind you they have no case against me."

He said he is urging the prime minister to ensure that the investigation is conducted professionally.

Anwar, 61, has denied the sodomy accusation, which he says is a political conspiracy to prevent him from challenging the government.

AP-CS-07-17-08 0242EDT

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