|
|
Article: From a community of believers to an Islam of the heart: "conspicuous" symbols, Muslim practices, and the privatization of religion in France.
- Article from:
- Sociology of Religion
- Article date:
- September 22, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Association for the Sociology of Religion. 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)
|
Waves of immigrant workers, family reunification policies, and children born in France have made Islam the second largest religion in France. Five million Muslims live in a country that has looked at religion with skepticism since the Enlightenment. From the French Revolution on, political battles have been waged to wrest control of the government and the educational system away from members of the largest religion, Roman Catholicism. The most recent battle in the struggle over laicite ("secularism") has affected Muslims directly. In 2004, "conspicuous" religious symbols, including large crosses, Jewish kippot, (1) and Muslim headscarves, were banned from French schools.