Backpedal faster, Francois!
Posted on 04/21/2004 1:47:03 PM PDT by Pikamax
France Tries to Clarify Head Scarves Law
Wednesday April 21, 2004 8:31 PM
By ELAINE GANLEY
Associated Press Writer
PARIS (AP) - A law banning Islamic headscarves in French public schools could add bandanas, seen by some Muslims as a substitute for a full head covering, to the black list of forbidden dress. Or maybe not.
A document on implementing the law, made public Wednesday by the Education Ministry, is so imprecise that one leading French daily, Le Figaro, wrote that bandanas would be forbidden while another, Le Monde, said that bandanas might be acceptable.
``The situation risks becoming worse than before,'' Philippe Guittet, a union leader for school principals, told Le Monde.
The National Teachers' Union joined the criticism, saying that the document ``adds to the confusion.''
The text is a working paper to be circulated to schools around France once it is finalized. It spells out how the law, which is to take effect with the new school year in September, will be applied.
Passed in March, the law forbids conspicuous religious signs or apparel. While Jewish skullcaps, large Christian crosses and Islamic headscarves are explicitly prohibited, it is the Muslim head covering that is the main target of the measure, French authorities have made clear.
The document states that signs and apparel that ``lead to an immediate recognition of religious affiliation'' are forbidden.
It does not specify whether bandanas will be banned. However, an Education Ministry official, asking not to be named, said that a ban on bandanas was the ``orientation'' of the minister, Francois Fillon.
Still, the document leaves a small loophole. It states that signs and apparel with no religious significance ``even if they can be worn in certain cases for religious motives'' are not forbidden - unless they are worn ``in conditions that would make them a conspicuous sign of religious affiliation.''
Officials of the main Muslim fundamentalist organization, the Union for Islamic Organizations of France, have said they are advising young girls to wear bandanas to school in September to get around the ban on headscarves.
The law, passed with rare backing from the opposition left, is aimed at safeguarding the French principle of secularism, considered under threat by Muslims who insist on wearing headscarves in schools.
However, President Jacques Chirac has suggested it is a way to clamp down on rising Muslim fundamentalism and bring the huge Muslim community into the mainstream. At an estimated 5 million, France's Muslim population is the largest in western Europe.
The document appears to exempt students in overseas French territories, like the Indian Ocean island of Reunion, where head coverings are customary.
It was not clear whether turbans worn by students from France's tiny Sikh community, not mentioned in the document, would be affected.
The text opens the doors to court cases, Guittet, the union leader, told Le Monde. ``It distinguishes between religious apparel, which is forbidden, and traditional apparel, which is acceptable. But how do you tell the difference?''
In unrelated news:
The current French terror rating has been raised from "RUN" to "HIDE"!
Backpedal faster, Francois!
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