'Defender of Muslim women' Sarkozy says extremists see female body as 'devil's instrument'
NICOLAS Sarkozy has cast himself as a defender of Muslim women as he lashed out at Islamic extremists who see the female body as an "instrument of the devil".
Nicolas Sarkozy has cast himself as a defender of Muslim women in France
The French presidential candidate said that the West had to crush jihadists and quash political Islamists.
France's former French head of state said during a rally his country did not have a problem with Muslims but a problem with homegrown Islamist militants.
He said: “France does not have a problem with religion, France has a problem with radical jihadists and a problem with political Islam. It’s them or us.”
Extremists believe that a woman’s body is an instrument of the devil
The right-wing candidate, who appeared before a cheering crowd of thousands at a rally in Toulon, in southern France, on Friday, reaffirmed his hardline stance against radical Muslims.
Mr Sarkozy promised to adhere to a strict form of secularism in a bid to tackle radical Islamists if he is re-elected president next year.
He said: “The burkini will be banned from all French beaches and public pools will no longer be able to have different timetables for men and women.”
He also said that Muslim men would no longer be allowed to choose the sex of their wife’s doctor.
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Muslim men would no longer be allowed to choose the sex of their wife’s doctor
Mr Sarkozy positioned himself as a defender of Muslim women, and said that he wanted to help “free” them from the clutches of radical Islam.
He said: “Extremists believe that a woman’s body is an instrument of the devil. They want women to hide their entire bodies, but at the same time, they believe that men are allowed to bear more flesh.”
The former president also said that he would do more to promote gender equality and empower women.
Sarkozy promised to ban the burkini from all French beaches
He said: “If a young Muslim woman does not want to be forced into a loveless marriage, and wants to choose her own boyfriend, I will help her. And I will do so in the name of the French Republic.”
Mr Sarkozy also said that, if elected president, he would hold a referendum on the question of whether the state should be able to jail people whose name is on a terrorist watch list.
He also promised to hold a referendum on whether the French wanted to ban family reunification, a policy that allows immigrants to bring members of their immediate family into France.