ARAB-EUROPEAN RELATIONS - Dec. 30 - Azhar Backs French Ban On Scarves.

The wearing of "hijab" (head scarf in Arabic) is a religious duty, says the Grand Shaikh of Al-Azhar, Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi. "But if a Muslim woman lives in a country where laws do not permit hijab", he tells reporters, "then she has to comply with those laws". Tantawi speaks after talks with visiting French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy. (Al Azhar is considered the most prestigious theological institute in the Sunni Muslim world. Pres. Chirac has asked the French Parliament to ban the wearing of head scarves and other conspicuous religious symbols, like Jewish skullcaps and large crosses, in public schools to protect France's secularism. Chirac also proposed giving company managers the right to decide if religious symbols could be worn at work. His proposals drew criticism and protests in several Muslim countries. Last week, Egypt's biggest Islamic group, the Muslim Brotherhood, condemned the proposals, saying that they would "plant the seeds of hatred" between France and the Muslim world. A prominent theologian based in Qatar, Shaikh Yusuf Qaradawi, said the Islamic head scarf was not a symbol, "but rather a religious duty, like prayer and fasting", that could not be set aside). Tantawi adds: "Muslims do not allow others to interfere in their affairs, so they should not interfere in others' affairs". (Tantawi's statement confers significant Islamic backing on Chirac's plans. But Tantawi is a moderate theologian, and many of his edicts have been criticised by fundamentalist and radical groups. Sarkozy said French Muslims had the same rights as Catholics, Protestants, Jews and others and assured his mainly Egyptian audience that the law did not target Muslims. "You shouldn't see in it a humiliation for anyone. You shouldn't see in it a lack of respect for your religion. You must understand that secularism is our tradition, our choice...I thank the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar for indicating that in a secular and non-Muslim state it is the duty of everyone to respect the law. There are no rights without duties, and if the Muslims of France have the same rights as other believers, they have the same duties").