March 5, 2008
Source: BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7266729.stm
I met Medine in the coastal town of Le Havre, in a scaled-down version of France's notorious banlieues.
Medine was here - hunched into a parka against the chill sea breeze - to practise in the municipal dance hall.
He was brought up in the bleak tower blocks that overshadow the place, and was once a member of the disenchanted Muslim youth who preached to French society about its decadence and immorality. He was named after the Muslim holy city of Medina.
Now his CDs and live performances send a different message - the offer of a new deal, and full participation in a secular society, and of a readiness to compete for success in a free market and liberal democracy.