Under the title "The future is in your hands", the European Union published the image of the veiled woman, along with other pictures that embodied the difference in Europe with its colors, shapes and religions, as part of the promotion of a conference aimed at highlighting diversity within the European Union and the need to live together, regardless of differences in European countries.

Through the hashtag (the future of Europe) in the French language, criticism was directed at the image of the veiled girl, as French politicians and activists said that it did not reflect the reality of France or its future, as they put it.

On the other hand, others denounced what was stated in the critical interactions, stressing that the announcement carried a variety of faces and was not limited to the veiled woman, and tweets praised the way the European Union highlighted diversity.

An episode (11/2/2022) of "The Eighth Newsletter - Your Newsletter" monitored the most prominent statements circulating on the platforms, including a television statement by the Canadian sociologist Mathieu Boc-Coty, who spoke about attempts to impose cultural diversity in Europe, and said that it cancels out the ancient European civilization.

Most of the attack on the "Future of Europe" campaign on social media platforms came from France. European Parliament Member Nicholas Bay posted a tweet in which he said, "The Islamic veil will never be the future for European women. In Europe, let us re-emphasize more firmly than before on defending our civilization and rejecting the Islamization of our country.

For his part, academic Kan Erimtan commented, "If we consider that the veil is only a visual symbol of loyalty to the Prophet and his faith known as Islam, then the conclusion must be that the European Commission is active by spreading Islam in Europe."

As for the mayor of the French city of Châlons-sur-Saône, Gilles Blattere tweeted, "Europe, which is launching a conference on its future, is deliberately promoting Islamic expansion and women's subjugation. This is a serious problem, but the policies followed in France are no better than that. No more time to waste, let's wage war on Islamism!" .

reject racism 

Activists responded to criticism directed against the European Union for publishing a picture of a veiled girl in the campaign for the future of Europe, including what academic Alberto Alemanno wrote that choosing a veiled woman to represent the conference "On the future of Europe" is not reprehensible in a continent that has flourished for thousands of years thanks to its diversity.

Tweeter Sarah Sam also saw that the image of the veiled woman is one of the 17 available to those who want to promote the campaign, and that not all countries share France's position on the veil and secularism.

She said the first picture is of a father with two children.

Activist Anthony Zakarziowski said he would prefer a future of Europe without racists.