Kenza Drider

Kendra Drider (born c. 1978) is a French Muslim woman of Moroccan descent. She made the headlines when she announced she would stand in the French presidential election, 2012 in protest at the burqa ban.[1][2]

Wearing of the burqa was banned in France on April 11 2011. Drider is described as the face of France's "burqa brigade", the small number of women in the country that continue to wear the full veil. "I will be going about my business in my full veil as I have for the last 12 years and nothing and nobody is going to stop me," she told The Observer newspaper.[3] She wears the full niqab and claims this is entirely her own choice. Her husband, Allal, describes how he was "shocked" when his wife first appeared wearing the clothing.[3] Drider publicly wore the full veil when she announced, in September 2011, that she would be standing as a presidential candidate. A local businessman, Rachid Nekkaz, had agreed to pay any resulting fines.[2] Nekkaz had also offered to get the required support for her candidacy from over 500 local mayors, before his computer (and contact list) was stolen during a mysterious burglary.[4]

Drider's parents were immigrants from Morocco.[3] She lives with her husband in Avignon and has four children.[3][2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Nikolas, Katerina (September 22, 2011). "Veiled Muslim woman to run for French Presidency". Digital Journal.
  2. 1 2 3 http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/09/22/france-veil-candidate.html CBC article
  3. 1 2 3 4 http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/10/france-burqa-law-kenza-drider Observer April 2011
  4. ↑ Fabrice Amedeo, Aude Lorriaux, 'Présidentielle: une candidate en niqab', Le Figaro, September 22, 2011. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
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