FRANCE BANS MUSLIM ENGINEER FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES

Paris, 8 Dzulqa’dah 1435/3 September 2014 (MINA) – A Muslim engineer has been barred from accessing nuclear sites in France, with his lawyer maintaining that the man is a victim of Islamophobia.

On Monday, a court in the northeastern French town of Chalons-en-Champagne upheld the ban on the Muslim man, citing his alleged links to militant groups operating inside the Middle East.

The court then said the management could prevent those “undergoing a process of political and religious radicalization” from accessing sensitive sites, according to Press TV report quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).

The lawyer for the unnamed 29-year-old man, in return, argued that his client had no police record.

“There is no proof of these supposed links,” Sefen Guez Guez said, adding that he was looking at filing an appeal.

The 29-year-old was working for a firm subcontracted by the French electric utility company, Électricité de France S.A. (EDF).

As part of his job, he gained access to nuclear installations in France throughout 2012 and 2013.

However, in March 2014, his pass to enter the Nogent-sur-Seine nuclear power station, situated 120 kilometers (75 miles) southeast of Paris, revoked.

An opinion poll conducted by the French institute BVA late last year has shown that Muslims have been at the receiving end of radical discrimination in France.

According to the survey, conducted through phone interviews with 1,040 French adults from December 17 to 19, 2013, an overwhelming 78 percent majority of respondents say Muslims are bearing the brunt of racism in France.

The results of the poll were released on January 6.

Moreover, 57 percent of the interviewees believe that racism has escalated in France over the past ten years.

This survey shows that Muslims have been the biggest victims of racism in France in the past decade.

France is home to the largest Muslim population in Western Europe. Nearly ten percent of the 62 million people living in France are Muslim. (T/P003/P3)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)