France’s Le Pen refuses headscarf to meet Lebanon’s mufti

The far -right French presidential candidate refused, saying she had met in the past with the grand mufti of Egypt’s Al Azhar without wearing a veil.

An aide of Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian, left, gives a headscarf to French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, right, upon her arrival at Dar Al-Fatwa who refused to weaShow more

Beirut // France’s far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen sparked controversy on Tuesday during her brief visit to Lebanon when she refused to wear a headscarf to meet the country’s top Sunni Muslim cleric.

On her last day in the country, Ms Le Pen arrived at Sheikh Abdellatif Deryan’s office in Beirut and was offered a white shawl to cover her hair.

The Front National candidate promptly refused and made a brief statement before leaving.

“The highest Sunni authority in the world had not had this requirement, so I have no reason to,” Ms Le Pen said, referring to her 2015 visit to Al Azhar, the prestigious Egyptian institution of Sunni Islamic learning in Cairo.

She said she had told Sheikh Deryan’s office on Monday that she would not wear a headscarf: “They did not cancel the meeting, so I thought they would accept that I will not wear the scarf.”

“They wanted to impose this on me, to present me with a fait accompli. Well, no one presents me with a fait accompli,” the candidate said.

Sheikh Deryan heads Dar Al Fatwa, the highest Sunni authority in Lebanon.

The body said “its press office had informed the presidential candidate, through one of her assistants, of the need to cover her head when she meets his eminence, according to the protocol assumed by Dar Al Fatwa”.

“Dar Al Fatwa officials were surprised by her refusal to conform to this well-known rule,” a statement said.

Fewer than a dozen protesters gathered near Lebanon’s Zaytuna Bay on Tuesday afternoon to protest against Ms Le Pen’s visit.

“From Beirut to Damascus to Paris to Washington, fascists flock together,” one placard read.

One banner read “Fascists out!”, and demonstrators carried pictures of Ms Le Pen and Donald Trump.

On Monday, Ms Le Pen met a foreign head of state for the first time — Lebanon’s president Michel Aoun.

The Front National leader, whose party takes an anti-immigrant stance, also met prime minister Saad Hariri and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.

Islamic dress is a hot-button issue in France, where the full-face veil is banned in public places.

Shunned by European leaders over her party’s stance on immigration and its anti-EU message, Ms Le Pen’s meeting with Aoun aimed to boost her international credibility.

France had mandate power over both Lebanon and Syria during the first half of the 20th century.

Ms Le Pen has met few top foreign officials since taking control of the Front National in 2011. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has refused to meet her.

After leaving Sheikh Deryan’s office, Ms Le Pen headed to Bkerkeh, north of Beirut, to meet Maronite Catholic Beshara Rai.

*Agence France-Presse