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A Clash Over Symbols

--By Dina El Nabli

Thousands of muslim women and men in Europe, the Middle East and Canada sent a message to the French government on January 17. Marching hand in hand, many women wore head scarves. Some covered their hair with the French flag. "The veil is my choice!" the women chanted in the French capital of Paris.

The protesters are outraged over a proposed French law to stop students from wearing head scarves and other noticeable religious symbols in public schools. French President Jacques Chirac proposed the ban on the head scarves, called hijab, worn by Muslim women and girls, as well as kippas, head coverings worn by Jewish men and boys, and large Christian crosses.

A PASSIONATE DEBATE

The goal of the French law, Chirac said, is to make sure "our youngsters are not exposed to divisive ill winds, which drive people apart and set them against one another." Wearing small religious symbols such as a Jewish Star of David, a Christian cross or a Muslim Hand of Fatima would still be allowed.

There are about 5 million Muslims in France, nearly 8% of the country's population. Critics of the proposed law say wearing a head scarf in school is a personal choice and a basic right.

"The government should not be in the business of telling a woman how to dress," Salam Al-Marayati, the executive director of the California-based Muslim Public Affairs Council, told TFK. "The law says you have to fit a mold, and if you don't fit that mold, you're an outcast."

French officials say the law is not directed against any religion. "The idea is to keep the influence of religion away from public schools," Agnes von der Muhll of the French embassy in Washington, D.C., told TFK. "A teacher does not have to know whether students are Muslim, Christian, Jewish or whatever."

Lawmakers will debate the proposal next month. A ban on long beards, bandannas and turbans worn for religious reasons may also be considered. If it becomes law, the ban will take effect in September.

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