Why is there such sensitivity to overt religious symbols in a Catholic country?
Secularism in France has a unique definition, more accurately expressed in the French term “laicite”. It underpinned the French Revolution, which among other things sought to end the domination of the Roman Catholic Church over the state. There ensued much conflict between the church and secular authorities, and an atmosphere of anti-clericalism emerged. The matter of public religious symbols has been ambiguous, however. In 1989, a court ruled that the wearing of religious insignia in state schools was permissible as long as it was not done with the aim of “pressure, provocation, proselytism or propaganda”. Much of the debate focused on whether certain symbols fell into these categories. Q: Did outrage at the ban really lead to two French journalists being taken hostage? The group allegedly behind the abduction of Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, the Islamic Army of Iraq, demanded that the law be overturned. The BBC’s Middle East analyst Roger Hardy says that while the headscar
