.EVERY FEW years the French receive worked up about an item of theological apparel that they view as unsuitable in the class. This moment a dispute has broken out at la rentru00e9e, the start of the brand-new school year, over an authorities decision to ban coming from state colleges the abaya, an unabridged robe worn by some Muslim females for discreetness. To folks in countries with a custom of liberal multiculturalism, the ban looks like an improper violation of the right to religious expression.
To defenders of a meticulous model of French secularism, it is actually a solution important to shield the state from spiritual interference. Why is France thus concerned regarding Muslim dress in its schools?