Interior Minister Nuñez Apologizes for Mosque Remarks, Clarifies Stance on Veils for Young Girls

Overview

• The interior minister, pressed in the Senate over remarks made March 12 at Paris’s Grand Mosque, apologized for “clumsy” wording and set out his position.
• He said he opposes veils for very young children, citing ages six or seven as too young to choose, and he insisted he remains firm on defending republican rules.
• He walked back a line about the president wanting to “develop and better make known Islam,” calling it a mistake and saying his job is to protect freedom of worship, not promote a faith.
• Critics on the right said the retreat was muddled, with Europe 1 noting it “struggled to convince,” while Le Journal du Dimanche emphasized a mea culpa and Le Figaro ran a defense-minded interview.
• He linked his visit to a push against “entrisme,” meaning efforts to put religious rules over French law, and said he is preparing a bill as the dispute revives debate over Laurent Wauquiez’s 2025 plan to bar veils in public for minors and warnings about stigma from other ministers.