Jean Leonetti, Mayor of Antibes, says ‘NO’ to Muslim demands for sharia compliance in schools. He firmly rejected Muslim parents’ demand for the abolition of all pork products in Antibes school cafeterias, adding that Muslims must adapt to France, its customs, its traditions, and way of life, not the other way around. Muslims must understand that it is for them to change their lifestyle, not the French who so generously allowed them into their country. The French are not racist or xenophobic, they accepted many immigrants before Muslims (while the reverse is not true as Muslims do not readily accept non-Muslim foreigners on their soil.)

Pray: that Muslims would learn to live in France adopting the nations ways..

More: http://europenews.dk/en/node/72566

A French mayor is facing up to five years in prison and a fine of up to £63,000 for declining to carry out a same-sex marriage. Jean-Michel Colo, a mayor in South West France, rejected a wedding application from two men and says he stands by his decision. But under French law, discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation can be punishable by up to half a decade in prison and up to a 75,000 Euro fine. He could also be removed from office, or face suspension over the move – which is being supported by his deputies. Mayor Colo said while it is up to individuals what they do in the privacy of their own homes, ‘if you ask me as the mayor to support it, then I am very uncomfortable with it’. Speaking to a French newspaper, the French Interior Minister said elected officials ‘who do not respect the laws of the republic will risk significant sanctions’. (See Prayer Alert 17-2013)

Pray: for Jean-Michel that he will be given the strength to stand by his decision and receive support for his beliefs. (Lev.20.13a)

More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/france-mayor-faces-jail-for-gay-wedding-refusal/

Three suspected Islamist militants arrested in southern France appeared to be planning an attack in the days ahead, the Paris prosecutor said on Monday, the anniversary of an a-Qaeda-inspired shooting that rocked France. Police found weapons and explosives at the home of one of the suspects in the town of Marignane, near Marseille, and intercepted communications between the men suggested they were close to going into action, prosecutor Francois Molins said. The three men, who were taken in for questioning last week with a fourth man who was later released, were to be placed under formal investigation later on Monday. ‘The investigation showed we were faced with a veritable laboratory for making improvised explosive devices and, even if we had no evidence of a precise plan, the messages exchanged by the participants suggested the timetable could be accelerated,’ Molins told reporters.

Pray: that all those with radical militant ideas will be confounded. (Job.6:23)

More: http://news.yahoo.com/arrested-islamists-suspected-planning-attack-france-133743655.html

Ten years ago religious symbols were banned from state schools, this included girls' headscarves. A French protest group called Mamans Toutes Égales has blocked school coaches, boycotted outings and staged street demonstrations in protest of mothers in headscarves being barred from school trips, saying it’s an attack on freedom and democracy in state schools. ‘They seem to want to wipe Muslim women off the landscape,’ said an activist. A Paris suburb suffered two nights of rioting and car-burning at the weekend after a police identity check on a French woman wearing a full-face Muslim veil raised questions about the law banning the niqab from public places. Tension has been rising for months over the broader issue of Muslim headscarves, including the simple hijab. The current Socialist government is considering tightening laws on standard headscarves, despite France having some of the hardest-hitting legislation on veils in Europe. The French Republic is built on a strict separation of church and state.

Pray: against further violent clashes and for positive dialogue that leads to equality for all private beliefs rather than stigmatism any religion. (Ro.12:17-18)

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/22/frances-headscarf-war-attack-on-freedom

The atmosphere is like a pop concert in the Montparnasse area of Paris. Hundreds of young people sing catchy songs, waving their arms in the air, while a group plays booming music on stage. This isn't a pop gig. The Australian-born Pentecostal church ‘Hillsong’ planted a Paris church in 2005 and its congregation’s grown from a few dozen people to around 900 at each of its two weekend services conducted in French and English. On a recent Sunday, the 1,000-seat Théâtre Bobino (where the church holds its main services) was nearly full. This youthful, enthusiastic, multi-ethnic crowd is in sharp contrast to the diminishing French Catholic churches and represents the rise of the evangelical movement as a whole in a country that is officially secular. Census figures report 600,000 French members of evangelical churches, with 460,000 regularly practicing their faith - a ten-fold increase from 1950.

Pray: God will reproduce His message of truth and life to the youth of Paris across all of France. (Ro.10:14)

More: http://www.eni.ch/featured/article.php?id=5465

The Protestant Federation of France General Assembly on 21 and 22 January in Paris examined the issues chaplains face in hospitals, prisons, and the military and urged member churches to take steps to support chaplains' work. A key concern was the tensions in some sectors between Protestant chaplains and those from the Catholic Church, as the number of practicing Catholics is declining andtheir Church is losing its traditionally dominant position in the area of chaplaincy. 64 percent of French people identify themselves as Catholics, but less that 10 percent practice their religion. three percent identify as Protestants. Protestant Hospital Chaplains visit patients, counsel the dying and contribute to ethics policies as they work alongside representatives of the Catholic, Jewish and Muslim faiths. They are hoping for greater teamwork. ‘Spirituality is a great part of health-care, and we want to put in place meetings between the national chaplaincy services’ said a spokesperson for the Assembly.

Pray: for God’s blessings to be poured over the hospitals, prisons, the military and wherever people are in stress, pain and trauma, that they might turn and focus on the living God. (Ps.3:8)

More: http://www.eni.ch/featured/article.php?id=5424

The French Prime Minster has told his parliament that marriage will be redefined and same-sex adoption brought in by the ‘first half’ of 2013. Under the previous administration redefining marriage was voted down, but the recent elections saw a change in power with the Socialist Party now holding a majority. Newly-elected President François Hollande, of the Socialist Party, made an election pledge to redefine marriage. In the UK the Westminster Government is ploughing on with plans to redefine marriage – despite it not being in any of the major parties’ manifestos. There has also been massive opposition to the plans. The French Prime Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, told parliament: ‘In the first half of 2013, the right to marriage and adoption will be open to all couples, without discrimination’. Last year members of France’s lower house voted 293 to 222 in favour of traditional marriage.

Pray: that the traditional form of marriage will once again be upheld. (Heb.13:4)

More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/france-wants-to-redefine-marriage-by-next-year/

French President Francois Hollande has said that he is taking threats made by al-Qaeda against his country seriously. He was responding on Tuesday to threats made by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in a video message posted on April 25. ‘We are taking seriously the threat by AQIM,’ Hollande said in Paris, adding that despite considerable losses inflicted on Islamists in Mali, ‘the terrorist threat has not disappeared’. So we believe we must continue the operation in Mali for as long as it takes, even if we reduce our presence, and stay vigilant around Mali to continue the fight against terror.’ So we believe we must continue the operation in Mali for as long as it takes, even if we reduce our presence, and stay vigilant around Mali to continue the fight against terror’. Hollande said he had ordered measures to protect French installations abroad.

Pray: that those who threaten peace will be thwarted. (Act.4:29)

More: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2013/05/201357201852923861.html

France has banned child beauty pageants in a bid to curb the ‘hyper-sexualisation’ of children. The new law decrees it illegal for anyone to organise a beauty pageant for under 16-year-olds, with a penalty of up to two years in prison and a fine equivalent to £25,000. French Senator Chantal Jouanno, who authored the report ‘Against Hyper-Sexualisation: A New Fight For Equality’, proposed an amendment to an equality bill introduced by women’s minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem. Senator Jouanno said: ‘Let’s not let our daughters think from such a young age that they will be judged according to their appearance. Let’s not let commercial interest impact on social interest’. The amendment received 196 votes for and 146 against. But an amendment pushing for better regulation of child models was rejected. Senator Jouanno was said to be particularly concerned about a Vogue magazine shoot in 2010 which featured provocative pictures of a ten-year-old girl.

Pray: that this move will lead to children being freed from sexualisation. (1Pet.3:3-4)

More: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/france-bans-childrens-beauty-contests-to-curb-sexualisation/