.... Now Sarkozy's party has published a list of 26 ideas including distributing a "secularism charter" that would showcase legislation, edicts and police orders on secularism.
The UMP proposes forbidding citizens from invoking religion to disobey rules, such as in public swimming pools where Muslim women may seek to swim clothed or in the absence of men.
"None of these proposals targets any one faith or community in particular," said Cope. "Of course, some of the clarifications that we are proposing today have been made necessary by the development of Islam."
A sensitive issue, first raised by Le Pen, is Muslim street prayers which are taking place in many cities because of a lack of mosques.
The UMP proposes granting long-term leases to religious groups that want to build prayer sites, with an option to buy. The Catholic Church has long used such a facility, in addition to subsidies for the upkeep of historically important buildings. [Reuters] Read more
