Le Pen Refuses Headscarf, Nixes Talks With Lebanon Cleric

An aide of Lebanon's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian (L) gives a head scarf to French conservative presidential candidate Marine Le Pen (R) to wear during her meeting with the Mufti, which Le Pen refused, upon her arrival at Dar al-Fatwa the headquarters of the Sunni Mufti, in Beirut, Lebanon on Feb. 21, 2017. AP Photo/Hussein Malla

BEIRUT—France’s right-wing presidential candidate Marine Le Pen refused to don a headscarf for a meeting with Lebanon’s top Sunni Muslim cleric on Tuesday, walking away from the scheduled appointment after a brief encounter at the entrance.

Le Pen, who is on a three-day visit to Lebanon this week and has met senior officials, was to meet with the country’s grand mufti, Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian.

Shortly after she arrived at his office, one of his aides handed her a white headscarf to put on. Following a discussion with his aides that lasted few minutes, she refused and returned to her car.

Body guards escort a vehicle that carries French right-wing presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, as she leaves Dar al-Fatwa building the headquarters of the Sunni Mufti, after she refused to wear a head scarf to meet with of Lebanon's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian, in Beirut, Lebanon on Feb. 21, 2017. AP Photo/Hussein Malla