Today's episode of Interactions discusses French secularism and its targeting of Muslim communities.
In his article for Canopy Forum, Dr. James McBride of New York University traces a series of French statutes that claim to be religiously neutral but in fact marginalize the Islamic community in France, especially in regards to public schools.
"Despite the claim that the ban on headscarves is incidental to the statutes’ supposed purpose of prohibiting all ostentatious religious signs and symbols in French public spaces," writes McBride, "their historical context reveals the true motivation: Islamophobia.
Where did the debate over the wearing of the headscarf in French public schools originate, considering that many Muslim women see veil wearing as a free and personal choice? Is French laïcité truly neutral?
Listen now.
Read the original article on Canopy Forum.
Purchase John Witte, Jr.'s new book, The Blessings of Liberty.
