Content area
Full Text
In 2004, the French parliament passed a law that prohibits the display of any conspicuous religious symbols in French schools. The ban, which passed by a vote of 276 to 20 in the French Senate and by 494 to 36 votes in the French National Assembly, was signed into law by President Jacques Chirac on March 15, 2004. It is widely viewed that, in practice, the law is chiefly concerned with eradicating the hijab from places of education; almost all of the controversy surrounding this ban has actually been, relative to other religious symbols, focused on the hijab.
Seven years after the 2004 ban, in April of 2011, another law passed that barred any form of face covering in French public spaces. Similar to the 2004 ban, although this ban outlaws attire ranging from helmets to full-body costumes, it is principally fixated on eliminating the burqa (also known as the niqab) - a face veil worn by some Muslim women - from French society. Both the 2004 and 2011 bans continue to be supported by many French officials and citizens as advancements in the constitutional requisite of laïcité - the French principle that defines the separation of religion and state.
An infringement on freedom of expression and religion
Laïcité is a principle that has been used to apply the ideals of secularism upon which the French Republic was founded. However, expanding the idea of laïcité to allow for bans on religious symbols like the hijab has been criticized as an infringement on the right to freedom of religion and expression. International law mandates that countries avoid restrictions on forms of religious practice or expression unless such endeavors impose a threat to public safety, infringe on the rights of others, or form an obstacle to the education system. Although some make the claim that the burqa may restrict educational interactions, hijab-wearing women, by international mandate, seem to have a clear right to incorporate the hijab as part of their daily attire. These beliefs were echoed by Kenneth Roth, the Executive Director of Human Rights Watch. In 2004, Roth reacted to the initial proposal to ban the hijab with the following statement: "The proposed law is an unwarranted infringement on the right to religious practice. For many...