Nicolas Sarkozy

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Nicolas Sarkozy

Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday made a promise to ban militant Muslim preachers from entering France, following the recent attacks in Toulouse, when a gunman has killed three Jewish children and a rabbi, then was shot during an operation of the police to apprehend him a few days after.
Sarkozy said he would not allow militant preachers to attend an Islamic conference which is expected to take place next month. He said, in the context of the run up of the first round of presidential elections, which is expected to be held on April 20, that the Union of Islamic Organizations in France will hold a conference, where certain people that are not welcome are expected to attend.
BBC reports that the French president singled out Youssef al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian Sunni cleric, based in Qatar, who requires no visa to enter France, since he has diplomatic passport. Sarkozy said he has spoken to the Emir of Qatar and the cleric would not be allowed to come to the conference.
Qaradawi has been denied entry in the United Kingdom in 2008, and is known to have defended the Palestinian suicide bombers and the bombers in Iraq.
This new electoral promise comes after Mohammed Merah, a 23-year-old young French citizen of Algerian descent, killed three paratroopers and four Jewish people. Last week, he said that visiting too often websites advocating Islamic extremism would become a crime and would be punished accordingly.
However, Sarkozy was quick to warn that what Merah did should not be linked to either Islam or immigration, since Merah was born and educated on French territory.
During the presidential campaign the French president made other promises that caused concern to the EU partners. Thus, he said that the immigration would be cut down so that the countries of the European Union may accommodate the people who come to Europe.
He went as far as to say that France is ready to temporarily suspend its membership to the Schengen zone until the continental body takes the necessary steps to make sure that immigration is cut down to a rate that can be affordable to the social services in Europe.
The president’s comment were received with caution by the other states in the European Union, considering that the Schengen zone is the most important achievement of the continental body, along with the common currency.
Sarkozy also said that France should take some legal steps to encourage the local producers and manufactures. He added that there was no reason to open the European continental market to countries that do not want to be as open as European Union is.
He made all these promises as he attempts to recuperate the percentage that places him behind Socialist candidate Francois Hollande. A poll survey taken a few weeks ago was showing Sarkozy surpassing Hollande during the first round but losing to him in the runoff, which is scheduled for May.

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