Have to say I am torn on this one. Would hate for the same standard be applied to other religious symbolism.
Exactly. Could a Catholics nuns habit become an issue? The banning of Muzzy's headscarves is political symbolism. It's time for the Europeans to face the fact that they have let an enemy in their midst and they need the courage to expel them.
It's almost void of any spiritual content.
All it says is: (1) There is a God and he sent a guy named Muhammad to tell us this in a book, (2) Remind yourself of this 5 times a day, (3) go to Mohammed's hometown once in your life to acknowledge this, (4) give money to people who agree with you if they're broke, (5) kill anyone who disagrees with you.
That ain't exactly Maimonides or Aquinas.
You are right. The problem is not scarves, the problem is that they let too many muslims into their country, and that they no longer support Christianity, so that a teacher couldn't wear a cross without getting in trouble. If they were a Christian country with an occasional Muslim immigrant peacefully following their religious priniciples, this would not be a problem.
Tolerance need only be extended to those who are themselves tolerant. Muslims, by their own teachings, must be intolerant. So we owe them no special accomodation, and only fools would give them any slack.
This is *not* a "religious freedom issue." The headscarf is used as a symbol of political ideology among radical European Muslims. It's the equivalent of a teacher wearing an SS uniform to class (also banned in Germany, BTW.)