Adnan Faruqi
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Hindu girl from India write against French burqa ban Nicolas Sarkozy invited her to meet and discuss the issue in detail
Class 11 student Aakanksha Gupta will meet French President Sarkozy early next year
NOIDA: French president Nicolas Sarkozy must have been surprised to receive a letter from a 16-year-old Indian girl, criticising the burqa ban in his country. Aakanksha Gupta, who studies in Class 11 in Pathways School, Noida, wrote the letter as part of an essay-writing competition. It was sent to the French premier, who decided to meet her to discuss the issue in detail. They will meet early next year.
The contest required Aakanksha to write an essay in the format of a formal letter to a global leader on a global issue. "I chose to write to Mr Sarkozy about why I disagreed with his burqa ban in France," said Gupta.
The ban went into force in April, and anyone wearing burqa in public faces legal action. The move was widely criticized by Muslims throughout the world as impinging on their religious freedom.
In the letter, Akanksha was very clear about the global impact of the ban. She wrote: "Dear Mr. Sarkozy, I am not a citizen of France but I am writing to you about an issue that is of great concern to the citizens in the world."
Following France's example, other countries in Europe, including Belgium and Netherlands, have taken steps to introduce a similar ban. The 16-year-old wrote in her letter that such laws were only fanning Islamophobia in Europe and they ultimately "amount to a suppression of democracy".
Her own experience of growing up in India, a melting pot of different cultures, had allowed her to understand the issue. She point out that the moral policing faced by women in the country, especially with regards to how a woman dresses, was also a factor in her wanting to talk about this particular issue. "Women's rights are something that I feel strongly about and I believe a woman should be free to decide how she wants to dress," she said.
The avid Roald Dahl-lover still has over a year of school left and is visibly excited about meeting the French president next year. "I am looking forward to the meeting. I will have a lot of questions to ask him," she said with a grin.
Letter gets Noida girl date with French president Sarkozy - The Times of India
Class 11 student Aakanksha Gupta will meet French President Sarkozy early next year
NOIDA: French president Nicolas Sarkozy must have been surprised to receive a letter from a 16-year-old Indian girl, criticising the burqa ban in his country. Aakanksha Gupta, who studies in Class 11 in Pathways School, Noida, wrote the letter as part of an essay-writing competition. It was sent to the French premier, who decided to meet her to discuss the issue in detail. They will meet early next year.
The contest required Aakanksha to write an essay in the format of a formal letter to a global leader on a global issue. "I chose to write to Mr Sarkozy about why I disagreed with his burqa ban in France," said Gupta.
The ban went into force in April, and anyone wearing burqa in public faces legal action. The move was widely criticized by Muslims throughout the world as impinging on their religious freedom.
In the letter, Akanksha was very clear about the global impact of the ban. She wrote: "Dear Mr. Sarkozy, I am not a citizen of France but I am writing to you about an issue that is of great concern to the citizens in the world."
Following France's example, other countries in Europe, including Belgium and Netherlands, have taken steps to introduce a similar ban. The 16-year-old wrote in her letter that such laws were only fanning Islamophobia in Europe and they ultimately "amount to a suppression of democracy".
Her own experience of growing up in India, a melting pot of different cultures, had allowed her to understand the issue. She point out that the moral policing faced by women in the country, especially with regards to how a woman dresses, was also a factor in her wanting to talk about this particular issue. "Women's rights are something that I feel strongly about and I believe a woman should be free to decide how she wants to dress," she said.
The avid Roald Dahl-lover still has over a year of school left and is visibly excited about meeting the French president next year. "I am looking forward to the meeting. I will have a lot of questions to ask him," she said with a grin.
Letter gets Noida girl date with French president Sarkozy - The Times of India
