New French cabinet includes three Muslims

France’s first left-wing President in nearly 20 years, Francois Hollande has unveiled a government that includes three Muslim ministers. Of the 34 ministers in Hollande’s government, three are Muslims. They include Najat Vallaud- Belkacem, Yamina Benguigui
and Kader Arif. Morocco born Belkacem, 34, has been appointed as minister for women’s rights, a position long missing from the French government. The second Muslim Minister, Yamina Benguigui, Junior Minister for French Nationals Abroad is a French-Algerian film director. She is known for her films on gender issues in the North African immigrant community in France. The
third Muslim minister is Kader Arif, the Junior Minister for Veterans who has been vocal in blaming Israel for French foreign affairs problems, stating that Sarkozy’s Mediterranean Union was blocked by Israeli actions in Gaza. Hollande has appointed Jean-Marc Ayrault,
a veteran social democrat and German expert, as his prime minister