You mask it SGTObvious - as multiculturalism. You tell the ignorant populace that you are doing it so that the imams can share their faith in the moon-god and his false prophet with EVERYONE, rather than just the select few. pretty clever, in a way... my only fear is that when 'services' are held in french and the ignorant populace hear them, they will 'turn from their wicked way and join the jihad'. Oh wait - we're talking about the french here - they already HAVE joined the jihad! Slap my forehead and holler 'Duh!' at me! ;o) E.

Actually it may just be a good idea. "Il n'y a pas dieu sauf le dieu de lune et Muhammad est son extortionist" is easily sung.

Never late to reply; SGtObvious is really interested by the french but sometimes there is a misunderstanding ... A propos , felicitations pour votre francais, c'est un bon debut. It's not a Islam IN France but a Islam OF France ...do you feel the difference. We are fed up of imams coming from saudi arabia or elsewhere , and who are not true imams. We prefer that the muslim cult is led by french muslims. What's the hell with that ? Are you afraid of Islam ? In USA how many muslims ?

>>Are you afraid of Islam ? In USA how many muslims ?<< Counting the prison converts or the accounted for prisoners?

I understand what you are saying about the difference between Islam IN France and OF France, but I do not see how the islamists would accept this. First, wherever they may be, islamists push the arabian versions of islam. They go so far as to claim that only in Arabic can Islam be understood. The root of this is the Q'uran itself, which claims that God created the Q'uran in arabic "so that you can understand". This can interpreted by moderates to mean "so that you, the people I am talking to now, can understand, because you speak Arabic", but the fundamentalists interpret it to mean "So that you, all people everywhere, can understand, because these ideas cannot be properly expressed in any other language." Thus, from the fundamentalist point of view, a requirement to preach and teach in any language but Arabic denies them the ability to preach and teach the "true" islam. Therefore, such a policy will not be popular with the fundamentalists. It is a direct attack on their belief system, something not even the USA would engage in. As for being afraid of them- this is a wise choice. It is only sensible to fear danger, and there has always been danger. The islamists have never considered France a friend, since Martel stopped their steady series of Muslim conquests, plunder, and blood at Poitiers. This demand on them will only make them angrier. Fearing them is right, but fear is not the same thing as surrender. My question was not at all sarcastic, it was exactly as written. How is it that French society accepts this cultural imposition of language on a religion, when American would never do so?

I think you mix the "islamists" and the muslims. We don't deal with the first one. The muslim cult is not organised like christians or jews . There is a will that only one risponsible gathering 5 different organisations. I have never heard about this language affair. I believe you. It's possible that the " surates" are told in arabic but the imam preech in french. I will finish by a warning. Anti-semitism was born in europe and russia...you know the terrible issue. i am afraid with certain point of view i read here. In USA you can make the bed of anti-muslim or anti-arabic feelings that could lead to massacres. i hope i am wrong.

"In USA you can make the bed of anti-muslim or anti-arabic feelings that could lead to massacres. i hope i am wrong." Jean, that will not happen. I live here, I have lived here all my life (almost 40 years now), and the US is not that kind of society. The US general populace does not go around chanting anti-muslim slogans, or burning muslims homes down, or anything of the sort. If you had lived in the US for any significant period if time you would know this like I do -- do not take what much of left-wing media/groups "claim" about my nation at face value. NewGuy

Consider what Jean said. "In USA you can make the bed of anti-muslim or anti-arabic feelings that could lead to massacres. i hope i am wrong." We CAN do it, but we don't. And it WOULD lead to massacres. Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing, though, if the same thing was said about anti-US feelings? If people elsewhere told each other: "you can make the bed of anti-US or anti-american feelings that could lead to massacres."

it seems to me you don't know your own country, new guy. The number of hate crimes in your country are quite high actually. read this extract from FBi-data:There were 2,899 incidents against blacks in 2001, about the same as the year before, and just over 1,000 against Jews, down slightly from the year before. Almost 1,400 incidents involved crimes against homosexuals, and whites were targeted in 891 cases, the FBI said. Just over 12,000 victims of all hate crimes were reported in 2001, with 46 percent of them targeted because of their race. The overall total in 2000 was about 9,900 hate crime victims. There were 10 murders, four rapes, 2,736 assaults and 3,563 cases of intimidation motivated by hate in 2001. There were more than 3,600 property crimes, all but a few involving vandalism or property destruction. Whites comprised the vast majority of known offenders for all cases, at 6,054, followed by blacks at 1,882. The FBI does not compile information on how many offenders were arrested and prosecuted; a ``known offender'' means only that the alleged offender's race is known, officials said. In comparison to Europe, the "infamous origin of anti-semitism", this number is very high.

by the way: The FBI's annual hate crimes report found that incidents targeting people, institutions and businesses identified with the Islamic faith increased from 28 in 2000 to 481 in 2001 (after 9/11)--a jump of 1,600 percent. Muslims previously had been among the least-targeted religious groups.