Ramadan Litany

On the Friday that preceded the Saturday of both the Apéros and the anti-Sarkozy demonstrations, that is, on Friday September 3, Nicolas Sarkozy performed a ritual he has perfected over the years - that of addressing Muslims at the start of, in the middle of, or at the end of Ramadan, and sometimes all three.

September 3 is about nine days before the end of Ramadan and the start of bloody Aïd Al-Fitr, when sheep are slaughtered alive and left to bleed to death.

A Moroccan website reported on the speech:

The French president delivered a message of sympathy and friendship to the Muslims of France on the occasion of an Iftar (breaking the fast) organized at the Moroccan School of Colombes, near Paris, in which he stressed his determination to "guarantee the right of all Frenchmen to practice their faith in complete freedom and dignity."

Excerpts of the speech follow:

"On the eve of the holiday of Aïd Al-Fitr that will mark the end of Ramadan, I want to greet all the Muslims of France" for whom this holy month is "a time of effort, of patience and of spiritual reflection", he said (...)

Sarkozy then defined what Ramadan is:

"It is in no way a closing in. On the contrary, it is an invitation to dialogue, to respect and to sharing," he emphasized, noting that "it is in the image of the Islam of France today, an Islam of peace, of tolerance and of solidarity."

Sarkozy called attention to the creation of the CFCM (French Council on the Muslim Faith), the placing of chaplains in the Armed Services, hospitals and prisons, and the training of ministers of the Muslim religion, as "decisive steps" in the recognition and affirmation of the Islam of France.

"By the number of those who practice their faith, Islam today is the second religion of our country", he said, emphasizing that the Muslims of France have their place, fully, within the national community, this national community which founds our shared destiny, because it transcends our differences."

"Beyond the beliefs and the convictions of each of us, we unite around these cardinal values that we hold dear to our hearts: liberté, égalité, fraternité," he declared. (...)

I shall not go any further. Nicolas Sarkozy has given this speech on countless occasions, this same speech, in which he points to all the wonderful achievements of the Islam of France. Other ministers have also given this speech, the very same one, at numerous Ramadan feasts. I'm sure every member of the government has had to memorize it to get their Brownie points.