French feminist Fadela Amara continues mission

August’s issue of Connexion Magazine features an interview with French feminist Fadela Amara. Although Amara, who leans left politically, did not vote for current President Nicolas Sarkozy she currently serves as his Minister of Urban Policies. In the interview, Amara says the French law banning headscarves in schools has helped girls resist pressure from fundamentalists to wear one: “In the quartiers, moms of girls who had been forced to wear the veil, took advantage to resist pressure from their husbands or older sons – they said, look it’s the law, she can’t wear it now. The law helped to emancipate hundreds of thousands.” Amara also believes burqas are on the increase in France: “When you go out in the markets you seem to see them more and more. With the burqa we are talking about a political project which aims to create more inequality between men and women. You take away women’s rights with this walking coffin. It negates them.”

via:[http://www.connexionfrance.com/expatriate-news-article.php?art=349]