"The Ban" (on religious symbols in schools)

Every Wednesday in Phonetics class, we have a student-led discussion on a current topic in the news. Two students present a summary of an article they've read and the class discusses our own views on the subject. The week before break the article was written by a Nobel-prize winning French lawyer, a Muslim woman, on the ethics behind the French ban on the wearing of religious symbols in school - including veils.

I no longer remember the points presented in the article, but the discussion proved extremely interesting. Though the ban is on all religious symbols, the focus of the national and classroom debates has been the veils worn by Muslim girls. I assume this focus is for two reasons: the veils are one of the few symbols that are interpreted by some as being required as a religious observance - unlike a cross, for example, which is worn by choice. The second reason is because many in the Muslim community in France and elsewhere are up in arms saying it is discrimination.

For me, an important question is whether or not the girls believe that they must wear the veils in order to properly follow their religion. According to my professor and another student in my class (who is not Muslim), the Koran does not actually dictate that women must wear veils - it is an interpretation that has been widely adopted.

If the girls do, however, believe that by not wearing veils, they are going against their religion then, as another girl in my class said, the government is essentially asking them to deny their religion and part of their identity for eight hours a day. As this girl pointed out, religion for most is a way of life - not something that you pick and choose throughout the day.

One of the guys objected to the idea that this was so horrible. He is well-known around school as a rapper (skinny, white guy - you'd never guess it) and said that he considers rapping part of his identity. However, he could never go to school and respond to teachers' questions or communicate with other students by rapping - it simply wouldn't be tolerated. For many of us, these seem like different issues, perhaps because it's widely accepted that everyone will communicate in a similar manner and it would be considered extreme for anyone to communicate all the time in rap. Religious expression is widely accepted (by Americans) as an everyday way of life. However, as he pointed out, if he considers rapping to be part of his identity then he is always a rapper and in not rapping at school, that is a compromise he makes.

Our professor was clearly holding himself back from responding to many points, but one of his comments was that there is a considerable amount of prejudice toward Muslims in France and that not wearing veils would help avoid conflicts among students at school and protect the Muslim students. He said that students should be able to learn in an environment where they aren't judged by religion and where another's religion is not forced upon them - that all students should be equal at school. If Muslims felt the need to wear their veils at school, they could go to private, Muslim schools. (Our professor went to private Catholic school through high school.)

In my mind, saying that students shouldn't wear veils because they might be discriminated against is avoiding the problem in failing to teach the other children about religious tolerance. And if the other option is to go to a private, religious school - is that not the same as saying that the country should be segregated by religion because the schools would prefer not to deal with the issues of integration?

Our professor also pointed out that (from the point of view that the requirement of veils is an interpretation of the Koran and not actually stated there), the banning of veils could be seen as a good thing in that it is not supporting an interpretation of the Koran which oppresses women. Personally, I think it would be interesting to follow up with the girls in a few years and see what kind of psychological effect this has had on them. As I mentioned in a previous journal entry, I can see how it would create a personal conflict for many who truly believe that they have to wear the veil - do they follow their God or their government? Does the fact that they can't express their religion mean something is wrong with their beliefs or that religion is not a way of life? On the other hand, will girls who see that they can live their life and be fine without their veils for a portion of the day start to question their beliefs?

Personally, I take a neutral stance on the subject. As an American, I have been raised to believe that everyone has the freedom of religious expression. And I disagree with those who say it is discrimination since all religious symbols were banned - not only veils. Though it wouldn't work in the US, the French seem to have found a solution appropriate for themselves. They take the separation of church and state VERY seriously because over the course of their history the two have been tied together with only violent and oppressive results. I would say the fight to separate the two was one of the driving forces behind the Revolution and one of the defining characteristics of France as it exists today.

Our professor had one final point of interest to close out the discussion - they say when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Therefore, he would normally expect us to listen, understand and accept the French view of the matter since we're here. However, in the context of the discussion, it was led by American students so we were Americans responding to Americans and suddenly he found himself a Frenchman in America having never left his soil. As such, he respected our opinions and let us have our very American discussion on this very French issue.