DISCRIMINATION CASE RAISES FRENCH RELIGIOUS TENSION

Zaman, Turkey
Oct 22 2006

France, which recently struck a blow to the freedom of thought and
expression by adopting the Armenian genocide bill, is also undergoing
a difficult test on the human rights issue.

Dozens of Muslim workers working at the Charles de Gaulle Airport
outside Paris have been exposed to an interesting prohibition.

Following the Sept. 11 attacks, terrorist paranoia has reached an
alarming level for the Muslims and Arabs all around the world. Muslim
workers in the Charles de Gaulle Airport lost their security clearance,
which allowed them to work in sensitive airport customs zones for
fear that they might support terrorists.

The Public Prosecutor office has launched an inquiry into the matter
following a complaint from the CFDT union on behalf of Muslim baggage
handlers at the airport.

Attorney Eric Moutet said Friday that the Muslim workers were exposed
to the prohibition due to their religious beliefs, physical appearances
and ethnic backgrounds.

Most of the Muslim workers had been working at the airport for
more than five years, explained Moutet, saying that the common
denominator of these workers was that they were Arabs and practiced
their religious rituals.

Jacques Lebrot, the airport’s security representative, said that
they had to make this decision due to the risk of terrorism and
they found out that some baggage workers had gone to Pakistan for
terrorism training.

Lebrot said that this decision had nothing to do with religion and
they could not make any concessions from the airport’s security.

The hardline right-wing politician Phillippe de Villiers published a
book published four months ago in which he claimed there were many
radical workers employed at the airport and these workers may be
planning a terrorist attack.

The local administrations supposedly took action based on Villiers’
allegations.

The police officers interrogated baggage workers in August and then
sent them letters saying their security clearance was taken away.

The syndicates will begin to strike on Monday to protest the event.