Idealogian

Religious (In)Tolerance

France urged to ban religious images

A long-awaited report on church-state relations in France advised the government on Thursday to forbid school pupils to wear Muslim veils, Jewish skullcaps or large Christian crosses.

The report presented to President Jacques Chirac said wearing such - conspicuous signs of religion - was contrary to the strict secularism French law requires for state establishments.

It also suggested that a Jewish and a Muslim holy day - Yom Kippur and Eid al-Kebir - be made official holidays such as Christmas and that companies allow workers to take off the religious holiday of their choice, commission secretary Remy Schwartz told journalists.

Muslim headscarves have become a major issue in France amid growing concern that militant Islamist views could be spreading among disaffected elements of the country's five million Muslims, who make up eight percent of the population.

The debate over a ban - which Christian, Muslim and most Jewish religious leaders opposed - also reflects concerns about the failed integration of most Muslims and the way globalization is changing the nature of French society.

This seems fairly stupid for a number of reasons, not least of which is that it's hard to see how such legislation would solve the issue of the "disaffected elements of the country's five million Muslims." Won't this just make them even more disaffected? Why not just ban all religion?

(As for why it's only "most Jewish religious leaders," see this story regarding France's chief rabbi.)