Agadir- France’s Moroccan-born minister of Education Najat Vallaud Belkacem has been reportedly planning to file a formal legal complaint over a hoax letter that circulated widely on social media networks supposedly sent from her office urging French towns to offer weekly Arabic-language classes, according to media reports.
The letter, complete with fake letterhead and signature, suggests that the minister demanded an official from the Direction des Services Départementaux de L’Education Nationale (DSDEN) to contact town halls to offer a voluntary hour per week to discover the Arabic language.
“I strongly advise you to give the green light to this activity which aims at breaking down the linguistic barriers that our children could encounter in the near future,” reads the letter signed in the name of the Moroccan-born minister.
Najat Vallaud Belkacem has been subject to harsh criticism from the French far-right for her Moroccan descent following her appointment as the first woman to hold the office of education minister.
Weekly newspaper Minute described her as a “Moroccan Muslim” and her appointment a “provocation”.
In its response regarding the letter, the ministry said that it does not fall within the Ministry’s preview to offer extra-curricular activities, as these are organized at a local level.
The forgers made a series of errors, notably with the description of the ministry itself, which they called the “Ministry for National Education”, instead of the full title of “Ministry for National Education, Higher Education and Research,” the same source went on to add.
