To those of you who support the headscarf ban in France...

[chimpy the poopthrower]

Does the fact that Human Rights Watch has said the law is discriminatory make you change your mind at all?

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/02/26/france7666.htm

"The proposed {now passed} French law banning Islamic headscarves and other visible religious symbols in state schools would violate the rights to freedom of religion and expression, Human Rights Watch said today. The law...forbids 'signs and dress that conspicuously show the religious affiliation of students,'.

{The law} is an unwarranted infringement on the right to religious practice. For many Muslims, wearing a headscarf is not only about religious expression, it is about religious obligation.

International human rights law obliges state authorities to avoid coercion in matters of religious freedom, and this obligation must be taken into account when devising school dress codes. The proposed prohibition on headscarves in France, as with laws in some Muslim countries that force girls to wear headscarves in schools, violates this principle.

Under international law, states can only limit religious practices when there is a compelling public safety reason, when the manifestation of religious beliefs would impinge on the rights of others, or when it serves a legitimate educational function (such as prohibiting practices that preclude student-teacher interaction). Muslim headscarves, Sikh turbans, Jewish skullcaps and large Christian crosses — which are among the visible religious symbols that would be prohibited — do not pose a threat to public health, order or morals; they have no effect on the fundamental rights and freedoms of other students; and they do not undermine a school’s educational function."

I have to say I simply cannot understand how some DUers can see this ban as a good thing. Also, I find it ironic that it is the Communist party in France that put up the most opposition to the headscarf ban.