France's National Front party is plastering this image around the country in the hope of gaining some votes for the upcoming regional elections. A woman wearing the niqab, minarets turned missiles, a clear "No to Islamism", and France draped in... the Algerian flag. A rather specific choice, and one that hasn't gone down well in the North African country.
"No to Islamism. Youth with Le Pen".
The poster, marketing the far-right group's youth faction, seems to have taken its inspiration from a campaign by Switzerland's far-right Swiss People's Party (UDC), which aims to outlaw minarets. The UDC is now threatening to sue its fellow extremists in France, for "stealing" the design.
It's not only the Swiss who are outraged by the poster - two anti-racism organisations in France (Mrap and SOS-Racisme) have started criminal proceedings against the leader of the National Front (FN), Jean-Marie Le Pen, who will appear in court on May 6 over the poster's design.
In Algeria meanwhile, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mourad Medelci has publicly protested the use of the country's national flag, asking its former colonial ruler to "take firm measures to prevent the symbols of foreign nations from being insulted".
Abdelkrim Mekfouldji is a French teacher and retired journalist from Blida, Algeria.

Next up - the threatening looking woman wearing the niqab looks nothing like an Algerian woman. It's very rare to see a women dressed like that here.
Not many Algerians have heard about this yet. It has been mentioned in the papers, but once everyone gets wind of it, then the relations between the two countries are going to get very sour very quickly. It wasn't long ago that France refused to compensate victims of the Reggane nuclear tests [taken out in the south of the country in the 1960s].
The real problem is that this controversy is a blessing for our politicians, who are looking for something to avert our attention away from the current social crisis [teachers and doctors are on strike], which they haven't yet found a solution for."
"Stop. Yes to the ban on minarets."
Comments
When in Rome do as the
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Mon, 22/03/2010 - 02:16.When in Rome do as the Romans. People come to Europe, USA, Australia etc to enjoy the freedoms and way of life. If they want to live in those countries they need to adapt to the rules, regulations and way of life, not impose their way of life and religion. If you do not like it, stop complaining and just go back home where you can enjoy the freedom of wearing your nikab and practice your religion. Really.... why don't you take of another advantage of ours, the freedom of choice...and your choice should be to go back where you came from.
Horrific Posters
Submitted by khukii on Sun, 14/03/2010 - 16:35.Well these posters are in very bad taste. And I am horrified that they are being used in France, since it has given home to Europe's largest Muslim community. The issues relating to Minarets and Hijab are very sensitive ones and they need to be taken care in a delicate way. The use of such poster would certainly divide the french society.
Having said that I would like to add that France now really needs to decide whom to consider as french, for me a boy born and bought up in France having Algerian roots is as much french as any other regular french kid. The last thing France need is to start discriminating based on ethnicity of its citizens.
Mohammad Khurram,
India
Nationality
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Thu, 18/03/2010 - 04:55.You are not as French as other French kids.IF your mother and father were French,I would agree.
minarett verbot
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Wed, 10/03/2010 - 21:35.the muslims in Europe are guests in these countries. there should be no minaretts allowed. It is distracting for the drivers when all of the sudden that yelling from the towers starts. The muslim population wants to impose muslim law. This is not going to fly with the europeans who are all christians. If I want to live in Turkey and want a church built, they would kick me out of the country. I cannot believe that the Swiss who are nationalists actually let muslims live there. They don't even like their neighbors.
Facts
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Thu, 11/03/2010 - 11:40.Foreign born citizens are just that. Not guests, but are citizens, with all the same rights and obligations that come with it.
Free western capitalist democracies such as France have more liberal views on religious freedom than some other countries, feel free to be proud of this instead of -apparently- lowering your standard to other countries where these freedoms are violated.
If you cannot feel comfortable anywhere but a place with a homogeneous population and shared values I would suggest you move into the countryside or a gated community of some sort where you don't have to be confronted by people with a different colour and customs.
changing a country by immigration
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Thu, 18/03/2010 - 05:06.You are very one-sided in your views.You wish them to be citizens but with their own set of values and morals and religion. It should be the criteria to adjust to the accepted norm of the new country and adapt one's lifestyle to it as well.It is assumed that the Muslims moved for the better lifestyle but then wanted to turn the new country into the old lifestyle whereby possibly inadvertantly changing the origional characteristics that they firstly were attracted by. This is not fair to the country's origional citizens, which moulded the values and morals in the first place.
muslim influence
Submitted by Ubetcha (not verified) on Thu, 11/03/2010 - 19:01.why should they move? You need to adjust to the homeland's ways not the other way around and should stop with your fanaticism's. You want to do that go back where it is accepted
raising heckles?
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Wed, 10/03/2010 - 19:46.I believe you mean "raising hackles."Anyway, the spectacle of the Swiss bigots suing the French bigots is a prime joke.
Indeed! Corrected. Thank you
Submitted by Sophie Team Obs... on Thu, 11/03/2010 - 09:27.Indeed!
Corrected. Thank you
You're welcome.
Submitted by Unregistered user (not verified) on Thu, 11/03/2010 - 19:39.You're welcome (I'd write it in French, but my spelling would probably be wrong.) But let us remember, there is bigotry on both (all?) sides. As long as you insist that there is only one right way, your position, no matter how mildly stated, is inherently prejudiced.