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Article: Under God but not the scarf: the founding myths of religious freedom in the United States and laicite in France.
- Article from:
- Journal of Church and State
- Article date:
- January 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 J.M. Dawson Studies in Church and State. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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In March 2004, the French parliament adopted a law that prohibits public school students from wearing clothing and insignia that "conspicuously manifest a religious affiliation." The law was approved by an overwhelming vote of 494-36 in the National Assembly, 276-20 in the Senate, and was strongly supported by popular opinion throughout France. The momentum for adopting such a law began in March 2003, when Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin of the governing conservative party UMP (Union pour un Mouvement Populaire) said in a radio interview that Muslim headscarves should "absolutely" be prohibited in public schools. A string of endorsements for such a law followed during ...