Le Pen Refuses to Wear Headscarf for Meeting With Lebanese Grand Mufti

French presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen refused to wear a headscarf covering a head for the meeting with the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul-Latif Derian in Beirut and the meeting did not take place, according to media reports.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — French presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen refused to wear a head covering for the meeting with the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul-Latif Derian in Beirut which resulted in subsequent cancellation of the meeting, media reported Tuesday.

"I pointed out on Monday that I would not cover myself up. They have not canceled the meeting so I believed they had accepted my intention not to wear a headscarf," Le Pen said as quoted by Le Point magazine.

When Le Pen came to the meeting on Tuesday, Derian's aid attempted to give her a headscarf but she refused to cover herself up, saying that the necessity to wear a head covering was imposed on her as a "fait accompli."

According to other media reports, the meeting did not take place, as a result.

Le Pen also referred to her meeting with Grand Imam of al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, one of the most influential Muslim clerics, in Egypt in May 2015 when she had not been required to wear a headscarf.

Le Pen's meeting with the head of Dar al-Fatwa, the major religious authority for Sunni Muslims in Lebanon, was scheduled for the last day of her visit to Lebanon. She also met Christian President Michel Aoun and Sunni Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday.

Grand Mufti's office said Le Pen had been informed about the requirement to wear a headscarf. Dar al-Fatwa representatives also added they had been surprised by Le Pen’s refusal to conform to this well-known norm.

Le Pen’s two-day visit to Lebanon was aimed at establishing international credentials and consolidating support ahead of the French presidential elections. The first round of the elections is scheduled for April 23.