As the world’s eyes turn to France, host of the Olympics in two months, one of the country’s fundamental principles is under the spotlight — laïcité, or secularism. It’s a unique way to understand the role of religion in public life.
People visit the Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica in Marseille , southern France, Friday, April 19, 2024. Light shines on an icon at the Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica in Marseille , southern France, Friday, April 19, 2024. A Muslim woman walks by an icon of the Virgin Mary and Jesus at the Notre Dame de la Garde Basilica in Marseille , southern France, Friday, April 19, 2024. A woman walks through the Notre-Dame du Mont church in Marseille , southern France, Thursday, April 25, 2024.
But the French version, diverging from the multiculturalism approaches next door in the United Kingdom or in the United States, allows the restriction of religious expression in public spaces that provide services to citizens. Such places should be strictly neutral, emphasizing “that which unites more than that which separates,” according to a guide written by the Education Ministry’s council on secularism.
The first big political clash came in 1989, when three students refused to take off their headscarves in a classroom near Paris and were expelled. The country’s highest administrative court found schools could limit religious symbols that are ostentatious or worn “in a spirit of protest.” That has only exasperated already marginalized communities. There, fear but also defiance are growing together, and a feeling of alienation from France runs parallel with more attachment to a religious identity, said Françoise Lorcerie, an Aix-Marseille University professor.The battle over secularism extends to sports too, from physical education in schools to elite athletes.
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