Ban on religious symbols in French schools nears

PARIS — Europe’s first law banning the wearing of religious symbols in public schools is expected to be in place in France when the new school year rolls around in September. On March 3 a landslide vote in the French Senate essentially gave the green light for the ban against Christian crosses, Jewish skullcaps, Muslim head scarves and other religious accessories in public schools.

France’s National Assembly passed a similar bill in February.

No other European country has such a secularity law, although Germany and Spain allow legislation to be adopted on a regional level. Two Belgian senators are currently pushing for a copycat law in Belgium. Turkey bans women from wearing head scarves or veils in schools, universities and public buildings.

France’s center-right government argues such a ban is vital to defend the country's fiercely secular creed — and the concept that public schools should be places of education, and not spaces to display religious or ethnic identities.