Le Pen refuses headscarf, nixes talks with Lebanon cleric

BEIRUT (AP) — France's far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen refused to don a headscarf for a meeting with Lebanon's top Sunni Muslim cleric on Tuesday and walked away from the scheduled appointment after a brief squabble at the entrance.

Le Pen compared her refusal to wear the headscarf to the decision by former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama to decline wearing one during her state visit to Saudi Arabia.

Journalists shouted back that the two situations were not comparable because one is a state visit while the other is to a religious body.

When asked if she fears her proposal may ignite the anger of the Muslim community, she said: "When in Rome do as the Romans do."

Le Pen has tried to raise her international profile and press her pro-Christian stance with her visit to Lebanon, a former French protectorate.

On Monday, she met with President Michel Aoun, a Christian, and Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a Sunni Muslim.

In her final press conference, she said that there is currently no alternative to the Assad government.