Archives for October 2016

French president’s remarks in a new book draw criticism as he also says too many immigrants are arriving.

by Al Jazeera

President Francois Hollande told the authors of a book just published that France has “a problem with Islam” and there are too many immigrants arriving in the country who “shouldn’t be here”.

Hollande made the controversial remarks to the authors of A President Shouldn’t Say That… in December 2015, a month after gunmen attacked Paris, killing 130 people. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) claimed responsibility for the deadly assault.

“It’s true that there’s a problem with Islam. No one doubts it,” Hollande is quoted as saying in the book published this week.

“It’s not that Islam poses a problem in the sense that it is a dangerous religion, but in as far as it wants to affirm itself as a religion of the Republic.”

Hollande also told the Le Monde journalists Gerard David and Fabrice Lhomme: “I think there are too many arrivals of immigration that shouldn’t be there.”

Immigration and national identity are key themes in campaigning for next year’s presidential election.

A string of attacks in France in the past two years, coupled with the Europe-wide migrant crisis, have stoked anti-immigration sentiment.

A heated debate about Muslim integration in staunchly secular France came to a head over the summer when about 30 towns banned the body-concealing “burkini” swimsuit. France’s highest administrative court later ruled that such a ban was a “serious” violation of basic freedoms.

The deeply unpopular Hollande has not yet declared whether he intends to stand for re-election.

But his arch-rival Nicolas Sarkozy, bidding for the centre-right nomination, is campaigning heavily on populist anti-immigration themes.

“Politicians from across the spectrum have almost a free rein to criticise/demonise Islam and Muslims and use it as a scare tactic whenever a particular leader or political party is in a critical situation facing the public opinion – knowing that the French Muslim citizens have no real organised lobby with the capacity to exercise any influence on the parties or politicians,” French sociologist and media critic Ali Saad told Al Jazeera.

“This reality is even clearer in the case of the present government, since all the Socialist Party’s tenors – such as [Prime Minister] Valls, [former finance minister] Macron, [and women’s rights Minister Laurence] Rossignol – are on the same wavelength as the president,” he added.

The French government’s policies – particularly in the wake of the 2015 Paris attacks and the subsequent declaration of a state of emergency – have come under harsh criticism from rights groups for the targeting of Muslims through detainment and harassment.

“In the long term, such a stigma endured by Muslim citizens would force them into seclusion, which could entail grave consequences for France’s social cohesion because isolation helps religious extremism to take roots and develop,” said Saad.

Asked about Hollande’s comments, government spokesman Stephane Le Foll reiterated the president’s remarks.

“There’s a problem with Islam today because Islam is politicised by some. There is a problem – and at the same time we need to be able to overcome this problem.”

Revered monarch who ruled the Southeast Asian nation since 1946 passes after a lengthy series of illnesses.

by Al Jazeera

Thailand’s venerated King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, has died at the age of 88, the palace has announced.

King Bhumibol passed away at Bangkok’s Siriraj hospital on Thursday. The palace did not give a reason for his death. He was 88 years old.

“His Majesty has passed away at Siriraj Hospital peacefully,” the palace said, adding he died at 15:52 (0852 GMT).

The highly revered monarch spent most of the past decade hospitalised for a variety of ailments, including kidney and lung problems.

The Royal Palace recently said the octogenarian had been in a “not stable” condition for several days after receiving dialysis treatment.

Bhumibol had been Thailand’s king since 1946 and had earned the deepest respect from the vast majority of Thais.

A constitutional monarch with no formal political role, Bhumibol was widely regarded as Thailand’s unifying figure in the nation’s fractious political scene.

Since 1932, Thailand has witnessed 19 coups, including 12 successful ones. The latest was in 2014 that installed the current military government led by former army general Prayuth Chan-ocha.

As his health deteriorated, the king’s participation in public affairs sharply declined in recent years.

Concern about succession has been entwined with Thailand’s political turmoil over the past decade. Widely viewed as the choice for the next king, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn hasn’t garnered the same respect as his father.

Vajiralongkorn – who lives mostly in Germany – flew back to Bangkok on Wednesday.

US musician wins prestigious award for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”

Dylan was awarded for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition” [File: Ki Price/Reuters]

US singer-songwriter Bob Dylan has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition”.

The Swedish Academy announced its decision on Thursday, drawing to a close the 2016 Nobel season.

Dylan’s surprise win marked the first time the prestigious award was bestowed to someone primarily seen as a musician.

The songwriter, 74, had been mentioned in the Nobel speculation for years, but few experts expected the academy to extend the award to a genre such as pop music.

‘Greatest living poet’

Regarded by many as the voice of a generation for his influential music and lyrics from the 1960s onwards, Dylan is still writing songs and is often on tour.

“Dylan has the status of an icon. His influence on contemporary music is profound,” the Swedish Academy said, when it awarded the $930,000 prize.

His songs such as Blowin’ in the Wind, Masters of War, A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall, The Times They Are a-Changin, Subterranean Homesick Blues and Like a Rolling Stone captured a spirit of rebellion, dissent and independence.

“He is probably the greatest living poet,” Swedish Academy member Per Wastberg said.

Nobel ceremony

This year, the Sweden-based body, which has awarded the literature prize since 1901, registered about 220 nominees that were later cut to a short list of five.

In 2015, the academy awarded Belarusian writer Svetlana Alexievich, citing her writings on key events affecting Belarus during and after the Soviet era, including the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the Soviet-Afghan War and the fall of the Soviet Union.

This year, the literature prize was the last of the six Nobels to be announced, following those for medicine, physics, chemistry, peaceand economics.

The six awards will be handed out on December 10, the anniversary of prize founder Alfred Nobel’s death in 1896.