President Emmanuel Macron has clashed with his rival Marine Le Pen over her plan to ban women from wearing the Islamic headscarf in public, with an eye on the votes of Muslims in the second round of elections.
Le Pen on April 24 will seek to cause the greatest upset in the history of modern French politics by defeating Macron in a run-off in presidential elections.
But one signature hardline policy the anti-immigration Le Pen has not dropped is her opposition to the Islamic headscarf, saying women who wear the hijab in public in France will be fined if she wins power. Macron is clearly aware of the importance of the votes of France's roughly five million Muslims, who are estimated to make up almost nine percent of the population.
Macron is clearly aware of the importance of wooing France's over five million Muslims, who are estimated to make up almost nine percent of the populationThe debate also goes to the heart of candidates portraying themselves as champions of the French principle of secularism, where religion and state are separate.
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