To think this is fucking crazy

Racist wanker. This attitude to Muslims is tolerated in France which is why we try to avoid the country if we can.

Jesus…! If you were Muslim and were refused, would he issue a refund? Do we have to declare our religious beliefs to book a holiday?
How bloody awful.

Well it’s a very, very strange way to not say it.

Agree with this.

It sounds racist to me both in English and French.

As you’ve already paid and are on your way, I’d still go. But would keep contact to a minimum during the stay. Just smile and pretend you don’t understand when they speak to you. The host seems vile.

France and the UK are similar in some ways but different in others. The UK is tolerant but not as liberal. France is more liberal but not as tolerant, in France Islam and some other religions aren't tolerated as much as they're seen as anti-liberal, especially in relation to women's and gay people's rights. In the UK we tolerate a wider range of cultures and to be so we lose some liberty. It's always a balance, you will find many places outside of the UK have different approaches to these issues though..

I speak French and English. Tbh whatever the law I find it really racist that they ask you if you are English or Muslim. You can be both English and Muslim 🙄 just as you can be both French and Muslim.

For my dissertation at university I wrote about issues with perceptions of the Muslim veil in France and the issue is really very complex, but this lady's attitude is simply racism. The pool may be shared but it is not a public space in which they have the right to refuse veiled women. Feel sorry for the family who visited.

Most likely. France has a very different attitude and laws.

Go, enjoy your holiday.

I never check out the personal opinions of people I book holidays with or purchase any service from. Never once have I sent a list of all my core beliefs and asked the seller to confirm they are of the same view before I hand over my money.

I doubt anyone on this thread does

Just enjoy your Holiday.

I don't get it. Are you Muslim? Does this seem to be something he said and his phone typed it. I don't understand.

Tbh, I didn’t read it that way. That specific sentence doesn’t make sense, and I read it as ‘those’ rather than ‘us’. It’s really rare for owners to share facilities with the people they rent to. I know I wouldn’t like to be sharing space with the owners, and you’d feel you were being watched. The only time I’ve shared spaces with someone is a couple of times in small airbnbs, but only for a night or two, and I knew upfront.

My understanding is that the property owner has merely said “no one who isn’t prepared to share the shared pool”

I wouldn’t stay anywhere that basically said “no Muslims”. There used to be signs in London “No Jews, no blacks, no Irish” according to an older friend of mine. I would not let me or my children be part of that sort of shit.

I don't know why you are offended by it. I am not 'veiled' but my best friend is. And going most places with her / her family is a bloody nightmare.
There is a certain level of importance that she expects EVERYONE to accommodate and obey by.
Her family are notorious for booking stuff, then moaning it's not private / there are other people there. French are known for being more blunt. Hes probably had a bad experience and is sick of it.

Is anyone else wondering if the OP asked the question via google translate as well. On the basis that google translate didn't do very well with the owner's reply, I also wonder what the owner actually read.
Saying that, "are you English or Muslim" is obviously racist.

Basically, you'll be sharing the pool.

He wondered if you would be inconvenienced sharing and if so, why?

He recently refused guests (two young ladies) who were veiled. Are you English or Moslem?

He doesn't want to refuse you, but if you had any religious beliefs they could get you refused access to the property due (I think) to the ill feeling of the neighbours.

Cordially

Basically, you can expect to share the pool. As a bog standard Brit, you'll be fine.

Text back and in (terrible) French say that you were merely curious and will be happy to share.

Cher Monsieur,

Je vous ai demandé seulement des raisins de curiosité. Nous avons aucunes convictions réligeuses, et nous irons hereux de partager votre piscine.

Cordialement

Itstheendoftheworldasweknowit

Bon vacancies!

It is possible that the previous family made a fuss about sharing the pool with males who were not of their family? He does ask if there is a specific reason why this might bother you? I think it’s not unreasonable for him to expect to be able to use his own pool in the summer?

nevertheless his second paragraph is rather nasty… in French as well as English!!

This is how I interpreted it too!

Thats why I phrased the first part (the very first sentence) as a question.

That is not laicite! It only concerns public buildings like schools, local authorities etc. Not walking around on streets or tenter properties. It's so ignorant to write stuff like this because you heard something about something, but then you have no clue.

If you were an observant Muslim - or for that matter, an orthodox Jew - the information that he sent would be useful in terms of deciding whether the holiday was going to work or not.

It might have been if the owner had said upfront that he was a bigot but unfortunately the OP is already en route to the holiday house so it’s a bit late for useful information like that, which only came out by chance because she asked about the pool.

As you have already paid and so can't stay somewhere else I would just reply saying I wasn't Muslim just wasn't sure if it was shared and to go and enjoy my holiday and then when I got back I would leave them bad reviews mentioning their racism.

I think negative reviews etc is a really odd way to model broad-mindedness.

The holiday is - potentially - an opportunity to get to know more about people in a rural part of France, where attitudes are very different to those in metropolitan England. (It's possible to be someone who lives in a multi-cultural city and yet be, in some respects, quite narrow-minded/unaware of how life is lived elsewhere.

If you were an observant Muslim - or for that matter, an orthodox Jew - the information that he sent would be useful in terms of deciding whether the holiday was going to work or not. Though people with strong religious/cultural beliefs would normally be quite clued up in advance about the kind of accommodation that would work for them.

Perhaps if you are keen to show solidarity with Muslims in some practical way, you can simply make a substantial donation to Islamic Relief.

is this not laicite? If you turned up wearing a visible crucifix, sikh turban or kippah the same would happen judging ny. By rights though you're not even allowed to ask other's religion.

Some more rural areas of france taken it more seriously than others.

You have a choice, endorse this quite stringent imposement of laicite and take your holiday, or make a stand and dont go.

what you dont have a right to do is go, knowing this is the case, and then complain about it when there.