Head-scarf ban

Paris

France’s lower house of parliament this week overwhelmingly approved a law banning the wearing of religious accessories in public schools. The law, which has drawn intense international criticism, is aimed primarily at Muslim head scarves on girls, but it also forbids students to wear Jewish yarmulkes, large crosses, or Sikh turbans. The government says the law is needed to protect France’s secular traditions and to ward off Islamic fundamentalism, but religious leaders are appalled. “We are speechless,” said Sikh activist Mejindarpal Kaur. “We are here in the 21st century looking for rights that we thought we had years ago.” If the Senate also approves the law, as expected, the ban will take effect in September. France has a large Muslim minority, rapidly approaching 10 percent of the population.

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