My interview with Maurice Leroy

Tuesday,28 December 2010


By : Jameel W. Karaki

PARIS: Maurice Leroy is the Minister of Urban Planning and assigned for Great Paris file, the former second Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, the Chairman of France-Qatar Friendship Society, the Vice Charmin of French- Emirati and a member of New Center party.


Minister Leroy has exclusively spoken to three reporters from Al-Watan, Al-Bayan (UAE) and Al-Riyadh (KSA) on Islamophobia in Europe, the role performed by France in international relations, secularism and the various project of the Great Paris.



Have your ministry succeeded in assimilating members of the Islamic community with the French society?

Leroy: France has been receiving immigrants since the 19th century. The number of immigrants has now reached 11.5 million, and children of immigrant parents represent 19% of the population in France and they are not from western Arab countries only. They came from different countries, traditions and religions. France kept its policy by receiving immigrants and kept providing 180,000 residency cards annually, in addition to naturalizing 150,000 persons each year. France has drafted laws to keep rights of immigrants facing difficulties and to create balance, and it is proud of the positive results for succeeding in the process of merging immigrants despite of all difficulties.



Do you have plans to cooperate with Gulf States, especially with Kuwait, UAE and KSA? Has France signed any contracts with these states?


Leroy: Yet, such cooperation doesn't exist, but I am invited to participate in Worlds Cities Summit in Abu Dhabi, which is a chance to cooperate with Gulf State in the near future.



Do you permit building new mosques in needed areas?

Leroy: In spite of strict French laws to separate the state from the church (Law 8-1905) which had stopped building worship places for longtime, there are around 2,000 mosques and we are intending to increase this number as many new mosques were inaugurated in the suburbs of Paris for big Moslem communities, such as Chant Loeb, Bondi, Viafranc-sur-Saône ,Trap and Colmar. The authority and local societies are cooperation with the Council of Islam Religion to find proper solution to overcome legal obstacles and to fund building more mosques.



How do see the problem of Islamophobia?

Leroy: Riots in suburbs that took place in 2005, social difficulties faced by immigrants and the law that forbid wearing veil was misunderstood by Muslims who consider this act as rejecting the religion of Islam in France. France has been welcoming immigrants for so many years and actively sought to merge them into the society, similar to the way we deal with immigrants coming from the Western Arab World, Africa and South Sahara. France is putting great efforts in this process as receiving immigrants means openness to diversity and a responsible determination to build a joint democratic culture, which takes longtime.



How to create harmony between secularism and democracy in France?


Leroy: Usually secularism is not fully explained so it is misunderstood by many, and especially to the Arab countries who understand secularism as refusal to religions. The truth is exactly the opposite. French secularism was established in 1905 based on appropriative and calming law to separate the state from the church, so secularism is actually about respecting all religions, since there are public and personal aspects to it. We approve the government school to avoid the influence of faction and to calm the atmosphere by eliminating religious icons and signs referring to any religion. We can do whatever we wish at home or in the streets but hospitals, schools and public places are different and this particular thing relates to the history of France, when there was big religion war between Catholics and protestants. We have made a mistake for not fully explaining secularism, which let children of Muslims, Jews, Protestants, seculars, agnostic and Christians to learn and live in harmony in the same classroom, and secularism has allowed all people in this country to believe in any religion and did not deny the right of anyone to believe in any specific religion in addition to respecting all religions.

I have noticed that some parties in European and Anglophonic countries have started to wonder if they need secularism as a system, but France has been working on integrating children since the revolution in 1789, even Islam is a religion between individuals and God without any mediator, so mostly extremist groups and Catholic movements are against secularism and are creating chaos.



What is your role in Arab-Israeli conflict?

Leroy: France plays an important role and Palestinians have the right to establish a Palestinian State, I have witnessed the legitimate elections when Mahmoud Abbas was elected and the election that came later to elect Hamas on the account of Fatah. France is not alone in the arena as the government and France's diplomacy are working for stabilizing peace in the Middle East through recognizing the State of Israel by the Palestinian people, which was a courageous and smart move made by the late Yasser Arafat. On the other hand, Israel should admit the right of Palestinians to establish their state, and this is France's stand when President Sarkozy was received by President Al-Assad of Syria, and President Sarkozy had criticized such reception, when France is playing a vital role to be a peaceful influence in the Middle East.


What is Great Paris Project?


Leroy: This project deals with poor neighborhoods where the unemployment percentage is double compared with other neighborhoods, as families are supported by the mother or the father alone, in addition to a big number of unemployed young men who are uneducated and the crime rate is high. Since 20 years there is a ministry called the City Ministry, which deals with similar problems, my role is to cooperate with the Ministry of Education and the Minister of Interior and Housing to improve the conditions in the city, the ministry works hand in hand with specialized societies to support children education and to provide meals. I have also worked with the Ministry of Higher Education to help merge young generation of immigrant origins in the college of political science, which is not available to every student and to enabling them enroll in big technological institutes and universities.

But some parents of this specific social segment are refusing to let their children merge in the educational process, such action is not related to financial reasons but connected to cultural differences and we have many programs to deal with this part. In the recent forming of the government on the 14th of November, President Sarkozy and François Fillon had issued a decision to name the Ministry of the City instead of Secretary of State, and the new ministry has become a highest priority to the President and the government, also I should indicate that the Great Paris Project has become President Sarkozy's highest priority as he is aiming to combine the capital Paris and eight surrounding provinces in order to make one global city. 5 French and 5 international architectural engineers were elected to make this dream come true.


What are the duration and cost of this project?


Leroy: This project will continue till year 2025 as we are facing transportation difficulties, it is known that transportation inside Paris is so easy and smooth but highways are so crowded and transportation means to provinces are not sufficient, so we will establish a direct transportation lines to solve this problem and to improve living conditions. The project is expected to build up 70,000 houses annually they public and private funding at the cost of 25 billion Euros for the ten coming years, we are executing the project which also includes housing, offices and sports' facilities, the work could end by 2025 or 2030 till reaching the anticipating goals.

In addition to a new structure for Paris Metro Pole which includes 170 municipalities that accommodate people who represent different political parties, the project will be a huge architectural monument and economic icon. There are many people involved in negotiating and participating with heads of municipalities and other high officials in the state by providing their productive opinions and views, there are around 15,000 persons who had participating in such discussions up to now.



(left) Maurice Leroy is the Minister of Urban Planning and assigned for Great Paris file, the former second Vice Chairman of the National Assembly, the Chairman of France-Qatar Friendship Society, the Vice Charmin of French- Emirati and a member of New Center party.
(right) Jameel W. Karaki