NNA -nbsp;French far-rightnbsp;politicians slated footballernbsp;Karim Benzemanbsp;on Sunday for donning Saudi national dress following his high-profile move to the kingdom.
Jordan Bardella, president of thenbsp;far-right National Rallynbsp;party, accused thenbsp;Al-Ittihad football playernbsp;of quot;condoning Islamismquot; after the Frenchman celebrated Saudi National Day on Saturday by wearing a thobe (a long-flowing traditional robe) and ghuttra (a headscarf).
Benzema, who signed with the Jeddah-based club in June, captioned the photo: quot;Look at the life we havequot;. This was followed by a white heart emoji, and the comment: quot;Happy Saudi National Day.quot;
Following the photo, which made national news in France, Bardella said he was quot;shockedquot; by Benzemarsquo;s post and choice of clothing, during a show on French TV channelnbsp;BFM.
The hard-right leader then claimed thatnbsp;Benzemanbsp;made the move to Saudi Arabia as he quot;wanted an Islamist lifestylequot; and claimed the Ballon d#39;Orr winner quot;supported Islamist ideologies.quot;
Other journalists on the panel questioned Bardellarsquo;s comments, who justified his remarks by saying Benzema had previously said quot;it feels goodquot; to live and work in a Muslim country.
Continuing his tirade, the politician said: quot;If those wanting an Islamist lifestyle could move to Islamist countries, perhaps France would be better off.quot;
French people lambasted Bardella#39;s remarks, pointing out that several other foreign footballers playing in Saudi Arabia had posed in traditional clothing to mark the Gulf state#39;s national day but nothing was said about them.
Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays for Al-Nassr, and Al-Ettifaq manager Steven Gerrard donned the thobe and ghuttra as they celebrated the Saudi holiday.nbsp;Ronaldo even appeared in a videonbsp;with his teammates as they showcased Saudi culture.
Other people said Bardella should instead focus on France#39;s ongoing crises, including the rising cost of living, political scandals, and school bullying.
This isnrsquo;t the first time Benzema, considered among France#39;s all-time footballing greats, has been linked to quot;Islamismquot;.
Another French far-right politician Damien Rieu posted an image of the footballer with an imam, whose home was raided following the beheading of French schoolteacher Samuel Paty in 2020.
In another tweet, Rieu posted a picture of the 35-year-oldnbsp;raising his index fingernbsp;and three other images showing extremist militants making the same gesture.
Benzema went on to sue Rieu for defamation two years later.
France, despite being home to Western Europe#39;s largest Muslim population, has often greenlighted several laws perceived as religiously discriminatory throughout the years.
More recently, the country has placed a ban on the wearing ofnbsp;abayasnbsp;- a loose robe-like garment often sported by Muslim women – in state schools. — The New Arab
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