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"It is incumbent on Muslims to practice their rights and fulfill their duties," Guergah said. (IOL Photo) |
PARIS — France's Le Bourget, the biggest gathering of Muslims in Europe, has urged eligible Muslims to make their voices heard by voting en masse in the upcoming presidential elections, scheduled for April 21.
"I urge you all to cast the ballots," Foad Elwi, Secretary General of the Union of Islamic Organizations of France (UOIF), told a sea of Muslims attending the second day of exhibition activities.
Elwi lashed out at Nicolas Sarkozy, the candidate of the ruling Union for a Popular Movement, for his underestimation of the youths of immigrant backgrounds in the suburbs.
The outgoing interior minister has triggered a political storm in 2005 after he called these youths as "scum" and rabble."
Nazih Marzouqy, the Secretary General of the association of Young Muslims of France (MJF), also galvanized the young attendees to vote massively in the polls.
"Le Bourget stands as a golden opportunity to encourage the youths in particular to cast their ballots," he told IslamOnline.net on the sidelines of the much-celebrated fair.
"We have already launched a campaign to educate the youths about the significance of such elections and importance of their votes,," he said.
"We have organized seminars for presidential hopefuls to listen to the problems of the youths," he added, standing in front of the MJF's pavilion in the exhibition.
Marzouqy said the 2005 suburb violence have motivated immigrant youths, mostly of Muslim roots, to engage in politics.
Their votes are important in order to "change the current situation," he insisted.
Le Bourget has become a fixture in the French calendar, a chance for Muslims to meet, hear speeches from intellectuals and scholars, and buy the latest in Islamic literature and clothes.
Duty
The Fatwa House in France has also issued a fatwa (religious edict), urging eligible Muslim voters not to boycott the elections.
"It is a duty on Muslims to cast their votes in the upcoming presidential elections," read the fatwa, which came out in French and Arabic.
"The Muslim vote is also important for the common good," it added.
Fatwa House Chairman Ounis Guergah said French Muslims must practice their political rights.
"It is incumbent on Muslims to practice their rights and fulfill their duties," Guergah told IOL.
"It is not a matter of halal (lawful) or haram (unlawful) issue, but it has everything to do with the common good," he averred.
Guergah warned that boycotting the elections will play into the hands of Islam's enemies.
"A Muslim boycott of the polls means a landslide victory for the right-wing, which spells a disaster for French society, in general, and the (6 to 7 million) Muslim minority in France," he believes.
Many of French Muslims interviewed by IOL on the sidelines of Le Bourget have voiced support for centrist presidential candidate Francois Bayrou, who ranked third in recent polls and could defeat Sarkozy if he made it to the second round.
On what they admired most about Bayrou, they agreed on his respect of all faiths and minorities in France.
During his election campaign, the centrist candidate met with many French Muslim scholars and youths in the Parisian suburbs.
He also visited the Seine-Saint-Denis district, where nearly half a million Muslims live, vowing to "normalize" relations between people of different faiths in France once elected president.
Hopefuls are criss-crossing France, holding rallies in key cities and towns. Turnout has been high, highlighting strong interest in an election that will usher in a new generation of leaders.
The latest poll put Sarkozy still firmly in the lead with 30 percent of voting intentions, socialist Segolene Royal second at 24 percent and Bayrou third at 18.5 percent.
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