The request for halal food is perfectly reasonable: if Hollande is going to invite Rouhani to lunch, he shouldn’t serve him food that his guest cannot eat for religious reasons. But the request that there be no wine on the table is inherently supremacist and absolutely unjustifiable. Rouhani would not be forced to drink wine, but that’s not enough: if he is not going to drink wine, then no one else can drink it either, including the non-Muslims present. This demand is in line with the old axiom: in Muslim countries, one must conform one’s behavior to Muslim sensibilities. And in non-Muslim countries, one must conform one’s behavior to Muslim sensibilities.
“Hollande-Rouhani lunch ‘scrapped over wine spat,'” The Local, November 10, 2015:
A formal lunch between the French president and his Iranian counterpart during next week’s historic meeting has had to be scrapped after the Elysée Palace reportedly refused Iran’s request to serve up halal meat and no wine.
Iranian president Hassan Rouhani will pay a historic visit to France next week after being invited by François Hollande earlier this year.
But the run-up to the visit has been slightly marred by an apparent disagreement over the menu for a lunch that the two heads of state were supposed to share, French news site RTL reports.
Iran’s Rouhani has reportedly had to turn down a dinner invitation with French president François Hollande at the Elysée for religious reasons.
It appears the Iranian presidency’s request for halal meat to be served and for the wine to be left off the table, which is a common request by Iran, was rejected by officials at the Elysée.
“A meal had been planned but fell through,” a source involved in French–Iranian affairs told the RTL site, adding that the leaders were missing out on “a great opportunity”.
Rouhani, whose country has strict laws governing the consumption of alcohol, had requested a meal with a halal, alcohol-free menu. But this was proved unacceptable for the Elysée, who politely declined citing France’s “republican traditions” surrounding Elysée dinners.
The Eylsée have yet to confirm or comment on the reports.
In an attempt to reach a compromise, the Elysée suggested a breakfast meeting instead, but this was reportedly rejected by the Iranians as being “too cheap”.
The two heads of state are still set to meet for two hours of talks on November 17th – but not at the dinner table.
The row recalls a 2009 incident, when the Iraqi prime minister Nuri Al-Maliki, declined a dinner invitation with former French president Nicolas Sarkozy because he did not want alcohol at the table….

gravenimage says
Lunch between French and Iranian presidents canceled: France refused request to serve halal food and no wine
……………………..
OK–I guess this is a positive, in that it is a rejection of Shari’ah strictures.
But it is rather like sitting down to dinner with the devil, then caviling over whether the menu should feature nothing but flambé dishes. Surely pretending the devil is a civilized dinner partner is the more serious issue?
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
Surely pretending the devil is a civilized dinner partner is the more serious issue?
Yeah, but we’re past that now. Treating Moslems as respectable human beings has been certified as Koshe… er, Halal. It’s like Global Warm… er, Climate Change, the fake has become so widely accepted as real that it effectively *is*.
Boy, the Persians must be really pissed. Lack of respect. That ICBM they tested looked like it had the range to make Paris. The French better watch out, socialism has ruined the country and now their disrespect for one of the world’s great religions one of the three Abrahamic faiths could end it altogether.
Angemon says
Indeed.
Jay Boo says
But, doesn’t the Iranian theocracy respect the sensibilities of other religions?
Dear President Obama:
Please help bring our daddy home children plead:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvAH3-wXyE0
Obama is a disgrace for ignoring this.
خَليفة says
“The request for halal…”
Do some research on the history of “halal certification” as we know it today – what, that’s life from the 70’s?
Halal is not completely described in the Quran, a lot is from Islamic tradition.
The “halal” certification is an absolute joke, not to mention a means of extortion and support of terrorism. Muslims can eat kosher food. Kosher food is halal ( permissible ). Halal food, however, is not kosher.
Sura 5:5 Today, I have permitted for you all good things, and the food of the People of the Book is permissible for you, and your food is permissible for them.”
Now this is another contradiction the Quran just said Muslims can eat the food of Jews and Christians – so does this verse give Muslims the ok to eat pork, like so mane people of the book Christians do?
Sura 6:121 “Do not eat anything over which the name of Allah has not been mentioned. To do so is abomination. The Satans inspire their friends to dispute with you. If you obeyed them, you would then be idolaters.”
Why did God make pork taste so good if he didn’t want us to eat it?
somehistory says
Remember all of the arguments over the shape of the table between participants at the *peace* talks during the Viet Nam war?
One can give in over the shape of the table. But the sitting down with others has to be a serious issue when one considers just whom the *others* are. The moslim president is from a country that wants all npn moslims dead…to take over all non moslim countries for islam and would gladly have many French executed as “spies” in his country.
And he wants to dictate the menu when an invited guest. How very rude!
He likely wouldn’t want the French at the table to eat non islam dictated food, either.
Charli Main says
Ignorant Musrat. Doesn´t he know that when invited to dinner, its polite to take a bottle of wine for the host.
Miao Zedong says
After sending french troops to Mali and dointg what the US apparently no longer can this is the second surprise.
Viva la France !
Followed by “Santé”
PRCS says
RS: “The request for halal food is perfectly reasonable”
Hollande can avoid that–and offend Rouhani, twice–with an all vegetarian meal and wine.
PS: I wonder if escargot can be made halal.
Charli Main says
Yes, boil them in camel piss—–that should meet with Allah/Mohammed´s approval
No Fear says
This request for no wine at the table sums up the entire world situation with Islam. Supremacist Sharia vs Freedom.
Alarmed Pig Farmer says
From looking at them and how they behave the Moslems could use a drink. It’d lighten them up a little.
Peggy says
Theyh don’t need to drink. There is always plenty of hashish around.
Maybe the French president forgot to offer him that and he got mad.
Charli Main says
APF—– visit any pub or club in London and you will find them swarming with Musrats, knocking back alcohol faster than their glasses can be refilled. ( and offering the bar girls money for sex)
xxxxxxx hypocrites.
Dan says
Now I know the world is upside down…
When the French are taking a stand.
cs says
lol. Yes, you right.
Jaladhi says
Hey, this would not have happened here in the WH, though!!
Champ says
Exactly!
Mr X says
Food in the White Hut is already halal.
Everyone Else says
Who does the menu have to be halal?
The banquet options are usually meat or fish or pasta.
What’s wrong with fish or pasta?
Peggy says
Nothing wrong with pasta but the fish didn’t recite verses form the unholy book while getting it’s throat slit.
Rob says
If a Muslim checkout operator can demand that he/she not have alcohol presented for scanning at his/her checkout station, surely you’ve opened up the route of entitlement depicted in this story.
Next Hollande must arrive in a smaller car than the Iranian, then sit with his head lower than the Islamic guest.
Dhimmitude anyone?
Nan says
They tried but even in Dhimmiapolis there was a huge outcry; the ones that didn’t want to scan pork were moved to other positions. I believe it was the ones hired to transport beer who successfully sued and were given settlements after they refused to do their jobs. They felt entitled to the jobs that weren’t entry-level and thought that by refusing to do the job they were hired for they’d get one. I don’t believe they got anything but money.
Porky The Crusader says
Halal is total Crap, you eat and you STFU , and if you’re not happy by the supper that are served to you…don’t come back ever, stay in your little muslum Shithole forever, end of the story.
JAS says
I would have made the dark-ages muslim eat in the kitchen, while I enjoyed a fine dinner with french wine upstairs. Hollande showed unexpected balls and I am duly impressed. Invited guests don’t get to dictate the menu,
Budvarakbar says
Why in the world would you let the slime in your kitchen? Out in the back alley gutter after the horses have gone by would be appropriate
miriamrove says
What a f…idiot. When you go there you have abide by their rules. When they come here you have to abide by their rules. This is why muslim states are one bigger failure than the other. Nothing comes out of the muslim countries. And the do not realize that it is their religion. The always blame others for their failures. Jews and the west. Iran’s economy is near collapse 66% of the population is under 30 years old and a lot of them are job less. In fact it is bad that people avoid getting married because they do not have the means and the money. Mean while Iran is in desperate need capital to create jobs. He is making millions of people in Iran because he does not want to drink.m
miriamrove says
OT:
to all JW reader. Please pardon my spelling and grammar. I am working and at the same blogging. m
gravenimage says
It’s fine, miriam–no need to apologize. Always good to hear from you. How is your brave son doing?
General Pershing says
Sometimes I just love the french resistance! 🙂
Westman says
Vive la France !
Sam says
That is so insensitive to peace loving Muslims.
Nan says
I think you mean the Muslims are so insensitive to the Wine-loving French. In honor of their newly found…anatomy, I think I’ll have a glass of wine.
R Cole says
It could possibly be that the Iranian request was for all the food on the table to be halal – not only the meal they were being served.
For example, if you board a plane you can order the Kosher meal [the non-pork option] – but I think it possible that for the Iranians the other meals were there too.
In the same kitchen food that was not halal was also being prepared – could have caused the offense!!
For these Iranians the final indignity – was there would be a bottle of the French finest on the table!!
If the Iranians had allowed – there would have been the best non-alcoholic sparkling grape served as well!!
If it was just about the food – we could handle this thing with Islam!! [No one dies!!]
I believe the French point was – they don’t care that they offend you!!
Before Persia fell to Islam the then jihadists at the gate – yelled ‘We love death – more than you love your wine!!’
Yokel says
“It could possibly be that the Iranian request was for all the food on the table to be halal”
That was the way I read it. A huge difference. Yes one accommodates one’s guest by serving food suitable for him, but never changes the whole menu!
John Johness says
Ahh the irony of it all…. Shiraz, Al Khol, rivers of wine in Al Jannah and of course ‘don’t turn up to prayers if you’re drunk’……
Interestingly the alcohol haram is a good way to keep these loonies from colonizing the county. Booze is like the cross is to vampires. They can’t even look at it.
Just have a wine and ham shop on every corner. It worked in Spain and France. Always have a glass of wine with your lunch.
More Ham Ed says
Sit everyone down, without saying much, then bring out hundreds of HAM SANDWICHES unexpectedly. Confront Islam. Confront arrogant islamists. MORE HAM.
Nan says
And if that doesn’t work, bring out the bacon!
David says
Pretty bizarre request, especially coming from a culture that; (a) encourages men to have sex with the farm livestock! And (b) thinks that it’s okay to drink Camel PISS as a “health tonic”.
As I said, fourth world. They have several centurys yet to go to advance to the level of a third world nation!
Mazo says
There was a meeting to sign the agreement to end the First Chechen War in Russia. The Chechen President Zelimkhan Yandarbiyev was escorted up to the rectangular shaped table and told to sit one one of the long sides, while Russian President Boris Yeltsin was sitting at one of the narrow ends like the most important person at a meeting usually does.
Yandarbiyev refused to sit down and demanded that Yeltsin sit opposite of him on the other long side of the rectangle.
Yeltsin was forced to give in and he got up and sat opposite of Yandarbiyev.
underbed cat says
Time for a vegetarian meatless dinner or a little spaghetti and matzo balls… or dried Siberian fish…and mint tea just to keep the peace…that should work….fried banana’s and fortune cookies for desert. Yum.
Then call in a woman priest to say the dinner prayers. That should do for diplomatic service.
Kepha says
State Dinner: An Agony in Five Fits
by Uncle Kepha
Hollande said, “To serve halal food
Is something my dear gust finds good.”
Rouhani said, “It’s fine
To refrain from French wine.”
Huffy Hollande left in a bad mood.
Just as a cat thinks that raw meat
Before his eye makes a fine treat,
Jihadi sees a bint
Showing off to much “skin”t
And resisteth not sensual heat.
To think, my mind now doth incline,
‘Tis the same when Rouhini gets wine.
He’ll get out of control
And do something droll,
While his nose will take on a red shine.
So pity poor Prexy Hollande,
Who must now drink something quite bland.
Not champagne, burgundy
Or a fine Seau-ver-nee,
Near his buddy who comes from Iran.
So now protocol boy sure feel beat,
In figuring out what folks will eat.
The first French state dinner
Where both sides get thinner
Is quite a remarkable feat!
Kepha says
Oops. Guest, not gust. Then again, Rouhani is an old windbag.
Bezelel says
Acts 15, 29 That ye abstain from( meats offered to idols,) and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well./
Meats offered to idols, namely that thing in mecca, the object they worship. Christians are definitely not supposed to eat halal, IMHO. BTW the rapes being committed by muslims everywhere they go is definitely fornication, IMHO.
mortimer says
A votre santé, M. Hollande! 😉
Dave J says
This once again demonstrates the difference between real religions and the cult of Islam: My religion says I may not, their “religion” says thou may not (and we don’t even want to see it at the dinner table).
Fascists!
Incidentally Saudi Arabia, which is literally 100% Muslim, has one of the biggest amphetamine use in the world and the princes and princesses commonly use alcohol and cocaine, a crime for which foreigners and non-members of the House of Saud are routinely beheaded.
Our freedom loving friends in Saudi Arabia, as Harry Shearer calls them on his “Le Show” radio broadcast..
Londo says
How the times have changed, the French grew a spine and the Americans are afraid of their own shadow.
Bubbe F says
Bad manners to invite guests to dinner and then serve them something the cannot eat. Bad manners to insist your host must not drink wine at this own table
voegelinian says
‘” if Hollande is going to invite Rouhani to lunch, he shouldn’t serve him food that his guest cannot eat for religious reasons. ” — Robert Spencer.
Huh? Did I enter the Twilight Zone? Would it be fruitless for me to adjust the vertical or the horizontal…?
Ernie says
Dear Voegelinian , I agree with Mr. Spencer . Inviting a guest ( even when this guest is your enemy ) , and offering him or her food he/she can’t eat for religious reasons is a deliberate insult . It doesn’t help .
Ernie says
Besides , when I was an adolescent , the mother of my girlfriend invited me for dinner and asked me what I wouldn’t like to eat . And that’s exactly what she served me . It was doomed from the start . I’m over it now !
B&C USSA says
” if Hollande is going to invite Rouhani to lunch, he shouldn’t serve him food that his guest cannot eat for religious reasons. ” — Robert Spencer.
Robert, I am disappointed in you on several levels:
The Islamic writings give dispensations for anything the “faithful” may say, do or eat, but I am sure that you know that.
I am certain that Rouhani did not make a request, it was a DEMAND.
Brien says
https://youtu.be/lu3eSNi__4w
BC says
All these dietary restrictions are a lot of nonsense, even some Christian sects forbid alcohol in spite of the ‘miracle’ when JHC changed water into wine. They also forbid coffee which must be a strain for Americans! The Roman church does not like sex either which it has common ground with Islam in fact. It shows clearly that religions are about control and making life less pleasant. ‘god’ created mankind but he/she must not enjoy him/herself but think only about getting to heaven and avoiding hell. So what is the point? The clerics like to deny themselves things and demand that their followers deny themselves also. Islam is the lost controlling of all it even has rules about the toilet!
This is epitomised by Khomeini’s statement.
*“Allah did not create man so that he could have fun. The aim of creation was for mankind to be put to the test through hardship and prayer. An Islamic regime must be serious in every field. There are no jokes in Islam. There is no humor in Islam. There is no fun in Islam. There can be no fun and joy in whatever is serious.”
– Ayatollah Khomeini, 1979
That is what IS is doing now and what you all have to look forward to when Islam takes over
Ernie says
Allah did not create man so he could have fun ? That’s right ! Allah didn’t create man !
Ernie says
Besides , eating Kashrout would embrother .( sarc.) .
Raja says
BC,
Some Churches have doctrines that are contrary to the Bible. Man uses religion to control over his flock not necessarily sanctioned by God. In the old testament God had a code based system to show that man CANNOT be unified or brought closer to God through religious code itself. In the new testament the same system of God was made attitudinal in nature. Jesus summarized the old testament thus:
Matthew 22
37 And He said to him, ” ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
Mark 12
30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
Luke 10
27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”
_________________________________________________________________________________
There is some misunderstanding about wine both by Christians and non Christians.
The word Wine is derived from the word vinos(in Greek) which simply means grape juice. The same grape juice when fermented becomes alcohol. Timothy was exhorted to use little wine for his stomach which is most probably alcohol. A man given to “too much wine” is not Ok in the bible and such a man is not to be considered for the post/job of ELDER in the Church.
By the way, I am told by my uncle who worked in Iraq and Syria from 1991 to 2011 that the locals use wine in weddings just as they did 2000 years ago or even earlier. IT is a cultural thing there. I don’t know about Muslim weddings.
I hope you don’t belittle bible or even God just because man tends to usurp everything that is he is given charge of.
Annie Oakley says
The “Roman church” doesn’t like sex??? Where on earth did you get that idea? I’ve known Roman Catholic families with up to 13 kids (that lived), all between the same husband and wife!
The Roman Catholic Church simply doesn’t approve of sex outside of marriage, nor does it approve of any artificial methods of birth control. The only method of birth control they approve of is the rhythm method.
The Roman Catholic Church heartily approves of sex within the confines of marriage.
Donovan Nuera says
The prohibitions against pre-marital sex were good ideas back then (and still are) so that your unmarried daughters would not fall pregnant all the time (especially inconvenient if you were nomadic or lived in tiny villages) and then the boyfriend conveniently skeedattled leaving the parents with more work to raise an infant in their older years (when life expectancy was only 38). Survival is better when you have 2 parents no matter which part of the world you are from. Likewise, incest was right out so that your kids would not look funny. Food sanitation was probably not the best back then and pigs ate all the crap in the rubbish pits; blech.
Bill says
It is a grave error you manifested by equating Christians with Muslims, currently or historically in terms of tolerance. Christians wrote the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and First Amendment. America was over 95% Protestant at the time of the ratification of the Constitution. And, the Constitution did not suddenly appear out of no where. English Protestants, aka “Puritans” were contending for and implementing each and every clause of the First Amendment well over a century prior to the Enlightenment. Furthermore, western progressivism exhibits the same type of authoritarianism and intolerance that is foundational to Islam. The lead progressive in the western world is Obama and his Democrat Party. Protestant Evangelicals, vote Republican, conservative, against Obama and the authoritarian Democrats and are more anti-Islamic than any other demographic group.
BC says
BTW all credit to Hollande for not backing down on this
Edward Cline says
Robert: Why are you cutting Iranian president Hassan Rouhani the “courtesy” slack? The guy wants us all dead. I wouldn’t even have invited him to Paris. He ought to have been told that there will be wine on the table and his choice of a sausage and gravy pie, a sausage and cheese biscuit, and German sausage links — take it or leave it and go hungry.
Voytek Gagalka says
Although Rouhani should never be invited in the first place, diplomatic protocol, however, requires minute details for almost everything, including menu. If this evil man would be told that ahead of time, he would never come: Success – if one realizes how treacherous and evil Iranian regime is; disaster – if one is in the process of delicate and desperate appeasing courtship. Albeit even in the later case – success – but long range.
mahghan says
That’s why those Persians were conquered by the savage Muslim Arabs. Once that happened they lost their brains. Paradise rewards the believers with “rivers of wine” and “all delights of the flesh with virgin boys and girls”. Don’t the Persians not see that this is all nonsense BS.
How can these fools not see that to tell a Frenchman not to have wine on his dinner table is like telling a devout Muslim to eat a pork pie. Just silly dummies all around.
Debbie Daniels says
Muslims are bullies. Good for France standing their ground. That will make them respect us. Obama would just give in to their demands.
Raja says
Hollande has shown some spine and I hope every nation imitates this.
Tragically,the way Westerners conduct themselves has given great impetus to these evil forces of Iran, SA etc to believe WITH ALL THEIR HEART that they are going to conquer these lands “in the end times”
THIS MUST BE REVERSED. Hope Hollande has taken the first BIG step in the right direction.
el cid says
This is very good news. On some level the French have a moral code and national pride! In short, a cultural heritage which is NOT negotiable.
It is often reported on this blog that Muslims are engaged in destroying pre-Islamic civilization.
Did your readers know that the Ottomans dug up ancient vineyards on Christian lands in the Middle East?
gleaner1 says
This is the first time Hollande has done something right, and no Robert, in my view it would not be acceptable to serve Halal food if that meant no stunning for the animal before slaughter.
While animals have no rights in my view, they ARE sentient and while I don’t believe in human “rights”, I believe completely in human obligation, to those sentient animals who understand terror and feel pain as we do as well as to our fellow man. This means saying NO to ourselves sometimes.
In my view, that Iranian creep was trying to Islamise the public space, we have to start somewhere, and dragging these types into the 21st Century over a dinner table is as good a place to start as any.
JRH says
Koran 5:3 … But as for him who is forced by severe hunger, with no inclination to sin (such can eat above mentioned meats), then surely Allah is oft-forgiving, most merciful.
The verse in its entirety: http://www.scepticsquran.com/5_3
Basically, halal food is unnecessary.
RT says
http://islaminitsownwords.blogspot.com/2009/04/did-muhammad-ever-drink-alcohol.html
Hey, Muhammad…..need a beer?
Muslim-3753: ”We were with the Prophet of Allah, and He was thirsty, and a man said: O prophet of Allah, Do you want to drink wine? Prophet of Allah said: Yes.The Man went to get the wine. The Prophet of Allah said: Make it Intoxicated. And He (Muhamad) Drank.”
And why do the earliest mosque Qiblas point to Petra and not Mecca, even though this was supposedly fixed from Jerusalem to Mecca by Muhammad himself 200 years before it was actually done? Even the Al Aqsa mosque Qibla points towards Petra.
http://apologika.blogspot.com/2014/03/why-did-first-muslims-pray-towards-petra.html
Let’s see now how well Islam holds up to Western redaction, textural, and historical criticism now.
citizen smith says
Muslims don’t need to eat halal food it states clearly in the qoran 5.5 if a Muslim is among the scriptured people (Jews/Christians) then our food is deemed halal.
Bukhari 34.273 “oh, Allah’s apostle, meat is brought to us by some people and we are not sure if the name of Allah has been mentioned on it or not” Allah’s apostle said “mention the name Allah and eat it”
Khris says
Good on the French President for now bowing down to their rubbish!! Shame our government wouldn’t do the same!!
Baucent says
Even the dhimmis socialist French would refuse a wine-free lunch.
Donovan Nuera says
Here is the best solution: poison the halal food. Then wait for the ayatollah to gather at his weekly confab place…and insert bomb. Young Iranians might thank us.
Koos says
The request for halal food is perfectly reasonable: If Hollande should visit Iran, the request for wine would also be perfectly reasonable.
Bill says
The demand for halal food and the demand for the exclusion of wine are merely typical Muslim arrogance and supremacism.
Ernie says
Dear Mr. Hollande , you can invite me any time , lunch , dinner or breakfast . I love the French cuisine ! And a splendid glass or two/three of your top-wines , I would be HONORED !
oguz says
Halal food means food production certificate in accordance with the beliefs of Muslims. In line with this demand manufacturers of Muslims living in Europe are halal certificate. https://youtu.be/gCKtGkN7UM4