France’s Marine Le Pen is on a two-day tour of Lebanon. It was scheduled to meet Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Tuesday, but she refused to wear a headscarf, something that lead to the canceling of the meeting.
The right-wing presidential candidate, told reporters that she was surprised by the requirement as she had met the Grand Mufti of Al-Azhar during a visit to Egypt in 2015 without covering her head. From their side, the spokesman for the Grand Mufti said Le Pen had been informed of the need to wear a head covering before the meeting.
“I met the grand mufti of Al-Azhar, the highest Sunni authority didn’t have this requirement, but it doesn’t matter. You can pass on my respects to the grand mufti, but I will not cover myself up“, she insisted.
“I personally greeted her at the door of the Edict House and wanted to hand her a white headscarf that was in my hand, she refused to take it“, Khaldoun Awas explained.
Florian Philippot, the vice president of Le Pen’s Front National Party tweeted “[i]n Lebanon, Marine refuses to wear the veil. A beautiful message of freedom and emancipation sent to women in France and the world!”
The burqa and the a full face veil niqab, have been prohibited in public areas in France since 2011.