This has actually been a long time coming. This didn't start with President Sarkozy. Remember President Chirac supported a ban on the hijab in schools.
Mark Steyn was right in his book "The End of the World as We Know It"
France has a problem with a large immigrant population that doesn't see itself as "French" and never assimilated to the French culture. They have been stuck in the ghettos of France with little to no opportunity and no attention paid to them.
Action such as suppressing their religious expression is only going to create a deeper bond of resentment that will eventually boil to the surface...and it will be UGLY.
I worked with a guy from the Middle East and he came to America via France. He was telling me the difference in US vs France is that in France, you arrive with nothing and 5 years later you still have nothing. There are no opportunities for advancement. In America, you arrive with nothing and in 5 years, you can have a nice home, good paying job, and nice schools for your kids. He said there is more opportunity in America and less resentment towards Muslims in the US....just one guys opinion.
http://thefunemployed.blogspot.com/
Action such as suppressing their religious expression is only going to create a deeper bond of resentment that will eventually boil to the surface...and it will be UGLY. Sarkozy is right. Women are being forced to wear these middle ages costumes by their own people to keep them oppressed and in line. I was in Iran during the Iranian Revolution. Overnight, women were forced to wear the chador and keep their hair covered. Assimilation will not be possible given thes strictures masquerading as "religious expression." Hell, Muslim honor killings are still going on in in Europe now.
In Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk modernized Turkey including banning the waering of the fez by government employees and promoting the wearing of Western dress by women and the elimination of the veil. He also banned polagamy. The objective was to separate religion from government. For the first time in Turkey's history, Islamic law was clearly separated from the secular law of the nation and confined to its religious domain.
There are forces today in Turkey that are trying to reverse those changes in the name of Islamic fundamentalism. Women are being harrassed and attacked if they don't comply. This is a case of "religious expression" becoming religious oppression.