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French court rules halal supermarket to be closed down after refusing to sell pork, alcohol

French court rules halal supermarket to be closed down after refusing to sell pork, alcohol

halal supermarket, France supermarketParis : The court of Nanterre in the western suburbs of Paris in France has ruled that a halal supermarket in the Colombes to be closed down and its rental lease to be canceled after it failed to heed warnings that it must “sell pork and alcohol products.”

The supermarket had come under fire last year in August by Nicole Goueta, mayor of Colombes and local authorities for “not catering to the general public.”

The matter was taken to court after the owner of the market objected accusations that it was “discriminatory” and not following the conditions on its lease which stipulated that the market must act as a “general food store.”

The court said that the market had not added alcohol and non-halal meats to its range of products and therefore went against its lease, and ruled its lease to be canceled while ordering the owner of the shop to pay 4,000 euros’ worth of court fees and empty the premises, Daily Sabah News reported.

The warnings to the market came after locals complained that they could no longer get a broad range of products at the now-halal market, which had replaced a regular supermarket and had to travel further to get the products they desired.

The market owner had told Le Parisien, a French daily newspaper, that he did not sell pork or alcohol because he took the supply-demand balance into account in the neighborhood. Many on social media had come to the owner’s rescue, saying there were many specialty shops across France which only sold specific products, and that authorities’ insistence was a “discriminatory” practice.

—SM/OIC-UNA

Charlie Hebdo magazine cover accused of stirring up hatred against Muslims

Charlie Hebdo magazine cover accused of stirring up hatred against Muslims

Charlie Hebdo magazine cover accused of stirring up hatred against MuslimsParis : French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo is again at the centre of controversy with a new front cover blaming terrorist attacks in Europe on Islam.

A cover illustration depicts two blood-soaked pedestrians after being hit by a speeding van, with the caption: “Islam is the religion of peace eternal.”

It has become one of the top trending topics on Twitter in France, with users describing it as “Islamophobic”, “racist” and “disgusting”.

Internet users also accused it of stirring up hatred against Muslims by linking Islam to terrorism, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

Prominent Socialist lawmaker and former minister Stephane Le Foll said Charlie Hebdo risked fanning Islamophobia and called the front page “extremely dangerous”.

“To say that Islam is a religion of peace by implying that it is, in fact, a religion of death is extremely dangerous,” Le Foll told French broadcaster BFMTV.

“When you’re a journalist, you need to exercise restraint because making these associations can be used by others,” he added.

France, and Europe generally, has suffered a string of terrorist attacks featuring vehicles being used as a weapon to kill civilians indiscriminately.

Both Muslims and non-Muslims have fallen victim to attacks in London, Berlin, Nice and elsewhere.

Charlie Hebdo itself was a target of a terrorist attack in January 2015 when two gunmen stormed its Paris offices, killing 12 people.

—SM/IINA