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| Europe |
| Chirac defends French secularism amid Muslim scarf debate |
| 2003-07-03 |
| President Jacques Chirac said on Thursday the French people must respect France's commitment to secularism, suggesting legislation could be used to ban Muslims from wearing headscarves in schools and at work. At a ceremony launching an official review of how to reconcile national unity with France's religious diversity, Chirac said secularism was the ''cement'' of the country's social cohesion and ''a duty...not just a right.'' I guess that means if you are religious, you're not doing your duty as a frenchman. ''In France, there are no rules superior to the laws of the republic,'' he said, adding that there was a need to ''put limits on the public expression of one's own characteristics, to understand others, and to put oneself in their shoes.'' So much for personal liberty. Chirac's defence of state rules on religion came as France grapples with the question of how to uphold its constitutionally-enshrined commitment to secularism without alienating the country's four to five million Muslims. This should be fun, in a sick kind of way. At Thursday's ceremony, Chirac appointed a commission to review how secularism fits in with everyday life in France and report to him by the end of the year -- a move that puts off any decision on how to resolve the explosive headscarf issue. However, he said any proposals by the commission could form the basis of legislation. The group is headed by Bernard Stasi, a former minister who has described himself as ''Christian, but profoundly secular.'' The debate comes amid growing calls for headscarves to be banned in schools, and as resentment among Muslims about the poor hand generally dealt to them by French society pushes more of them to view themselves as Muslim first, and French second. Can you say "timebomb"? Teachers at a school in Lyon earlier this year went on strike over a Muslim pupil's insistence on wearing a headscarf. With France's Muslim population and 650,000 Jews both the largest minorities of their kind in Europe, Chirac's government is eager to avoid a society dividing along religious lines. The centre-right government has tried to win over moderate Muslims with the launch of the faith's first ever national representational body and talk of state grants for new mosques. Other religions -- including the predominant Catholic faith and Judaism -- have in the past recognised the primacy of the state, either by surrendering church property to it or bowing to secular law over religious commands. Proponents of a headscarf ban say Islam should make compromises too. And there is the sticking point, Islamist's don't compromise. |
| Posted by:Steve |