France, the bizarro nation
: A most bizarre story from France: Faced with hate crimes against religious minorities, the response of the government is not to protect those minorities, but instead to tell them to hide their religion.
Muslim girls in France could be barred from wearing headscarves in schools after an expert commission recommended a ban on “conspicuous” religious signs.
The official commission headed by former minister Bernard Stasi has released its findings on issues relating to religion and the state.
French President Jacques Chirac will announce next week whether he supports the commission’s recommendation.
The ban would also include the Jewish skull-cap and large Christian crosses….
Mr Chirac, who is expected to address the nation next week with his own conclusions, has hinted that he could back a formal ban.
Last week he said France felt “in a certain way under attack as result of the display of ostentatious religious signs, which is totally contrary to its secular tradition”.
He added: “We cannot accept ostentatious signs of religious proselytism, whatever the religion.
Wacky on so many levels. In this country we believe that separation of church and state is about protecting the church and the freedom to believe whatever one wants. In France, separation means hiding religion. Sounds like the land of Lenin and Stalin, not the land of liberty, brotherhood, and equality.
I suggested about a week ago that the appropriate response to attacks against Jewish children in France would be for Chirac to start wearing a yarmulke himself. Instead, he tells the children to take them off. He tells girls to take off their scarves. So wrong.
