Veiled Columnist’s Debut on French TV Show Sparks Viewer Debate

A veiled columnist on TPMP! While some viewers welcome the new recruit, others cry out in outrage. The reason: the wearing of the veil. They reacted to a post by Cyril Hanouna on Twitter: "My Amele joins the team of columnists on #TPMP! She was incredible for her first TV, you’ll find her around the table, she passed the test!" "Religious affiliation should not be exhibited on a TV set, because religion remains a private matter! While Iranian women risk their lives to refuse the veil and the far right is thriving with each provocation, what is the true objective of Cyrilhanouna?", comments former French deputy Jean-Louis Gagnaire.

One Internet user claims that the show will "lose viewers in a few days". "When a monk around the table," another ironizes. The criticisms abound. "Promotion of the Islamic veil... pitiful"; "I don’t really like it. TV should remain neutral, religion at home"; "She has very good reasoning, she knows how to debate, good recruit! On the other hand, do we have to make us suffer the veil? In Iran, ladies want to remove the veil, in France, they want to wear it, religion in the private sphere should be the rule, it would avoid many problems in France." Other Internet users - very few - have on the other hand preferred to support the new columnist, waiting to judge her on the quality of her interventions.

Amel is indeed a new recruit, but she is not unknown to TPMP. Last December, the mother of a family was invited to the set to discuss the situation of the Voillaume high school in Aulnay-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis), where her son is enrolled. She had deplored the fact that the students had to use the flashes of their smartphones to study because there was no heating or electricity inside the dilapidated premises. Her intervention proved useful. "They redid the toilets. The Minister of Education came the day after the show. As if it takes going to TPMP for things to move. Thank you!," the new columnist said.