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CHIRAC BACKS HEADSCARF BAN
23.2.2004. 13:08:31
Muslim headscarves, Jewish skullcaps and large Christian crosses are to be banned from state schools in France.
President Jacques Chirac has called for the law in the wake of a special commission’s report on the separation of church and state.
The report recommended such a ban and there has been much debate about the role of religion in French public life.
Mr Chirac says he believes the wearing of dress or symbols which conspicuously show religious affiliation should be banned in schools because it breaches the separation of church and state.
He says it is acceptable for pupils to wear what he described as discreet symbols of faith, such as small Islamic pendants, Christian crosses, or the star of David.
The issue of Muslim headscarves has sparked controversy after several girls defied schools which had tried to stop them covering their heads in class.
Mr Chirac says such defiance breached the landmark separation of church and state in 1905 and would heighten tensions in France's multicultural society, whose Muslim and Jewish populations are both the biggest of their kind in west Europe.
"Secularity is one of the republic's great achievements. It plays a crucial role in social harmony and national cohesion. We must not allow it to be weakened," he said.
Opinion polls show the ban in schools is backed by a large majority of French citizens, although it has been opposed by Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders.
SOURCE: World News
STORY ARCHIVE
23.2.2004. 13:08:31
President Jacques Chirac has called for the law in the wake of a special commission’s report on the separation of church and state.
The report recommended such a ban and there has been much debate about the role of religion in French public life.
Mr Chirac says he believes the wearing of dress or symbols which conspicuously show religious affiliation should be banned in schools because it breaches the separation of church and state.
He says it is acceptable for pupils to wear what he described as discreet symbols of faith, such as small Islamic pendants, Christian crosses, or the star of David.
The issue of Muslim headscarves has sparked controversy after several girls defied schools which had tried to stop them covering their heads in class.
Mr Chirac says such defiance breached the landmark separation of church and state in 1905 and would heighten tensions in France's multicultural society, whose Muslim and Jewish populations are both the biggest of their kind in west Europe.
"Secularity is one of the republic's great achievements. It plays a crucial role in social harmony and national cohesion. We must not allow it to be weakened," he said.
Opinion polls show the ban in schools is backed by a large majority of French citizens, although it has been opposed by Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders.
SOURCE: World News
STORY ARCHIVE