|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grubble Grubble
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, February 11, 2004 :::
rant
France has finally gone off the deep end. The lower house of the French parliament has voted, 494-36, to ban the wearing of overtly religious symbols in public schools. This ban would include the head scarves that Muslim girls wear, the yarmulkes worn by Jewish boys, and any large cross, a symbol of Christianity. A vote goes to the full Senate in March, where it is expected to meet no resistance.
A history of this takes us back to 1989, when two young Muslim girls were expelled from a school in Creil for wearing head scarves to school. Of course, since then many more have also been expelled creating a tense situation in France.
In order to protect their secular traditions from rising religious fundamentalism, the government argues, this ban is necessary. In the government's collective mind, I would presume, is now the thought that peoples of certain religious backgrounds will suddenly throw off their traditional teachings and give way to secularism for the greater good of France.
Yeah, that'll happen. Instead of finding an answer that could heal wounds and help homogenize French society, the lower house has taken steps that will further polarize those on both sides of the issue. Muslims, and many Jews, will pull their children from public schools and educate them in religious schools. Certainly this is not a bad thing, but the foundation for it will be built on spite and hate-mongering.
No good can come of this.
/rant
|
|
|
|
