AccessMyLibrary provides FREE access to over 30 million articles from top publications available through your library.
Create a link to this page
Copy and paste this link tag into your Web page or blog:
by Julio Godoy
PARIS, Feb. 10 (IPS) -- The French government is attempting to reduce the Arab world's influence over Muslims here.
The "law of 1905" declared France "a secular Republic" that "does not recognise or subsidise any religion." A change would mean that the government could fund - and control - religious organisations.
Minister of the interior Nicolas Sarkozy, parliament speaker Jean-Francois Cope and other ministers say they want the law revised to lessen the financial and ideological influence of Arab states on French Muslims.
Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Rafarin has defended "the subtle equilibrium this major law created for the relations between the state and the nation's religious institutions." He says he wants this equilibrium to remain, without explicitly supporting or rejecting a revision.