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World on Trial "France's Headscarf Law"

World on Trial "France's Headscarf Law"

Tue, 01/31/2012 - 6:00pm
WXXI World

Credit: http://www.law.psu.edu/WOT

This episode of World on Trial will examine the legality of France's 2004 "headscarf law," which forbids the wearing of conspicuous religious garb in primary and secondary public schools.

Should the law be stricken as a discriminatory and inhospitable "Islamophobic" effort to forbid Muslim girls in public schools from expressing their religious beliefs? Or, should the law be upheld as an appropriate mechanism of preserving French secularism in the public arena, with an important ancillary benefit of allowing Muslim girls who choose not to veil to be secure in their choice, at least in public schools? Tune in to learn more about this controversial topic on World on Trial "France's Headscarf Law" airing Tuesday, January 31 at 6 p.m. on WXXI World (DT21.2/cable 524).

Step into the World on Trial courtroom with acclaimed human rights advocate and author, Professor Randall Robinson as world renowned jurists argue both sides of sharply contested international human rights issues. Then join juries throughout the world to reach a verdict on whether states are conforming to International treaties. 

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Headscarf law

Submitted by White Feather (not verified) on Sat, 02/04/2012 - 1:28pm.

I agree that the law will not protect the girls from the abusers at home. Although it would allow them brief relief from said abusers when they are at school and not leave open further abuse from peers.
A deeper issue is the archaic beliefs and actions of a religious race that affords abusers free reign to maim and kill girls and women for egocentrism. If a religion allows this it is the religion that should be under trial and claimed a dangerous cult. An action as such would indeed bring more terrorism and perhaps a world war.
Freedom from these terrors can only be accomplished through generational education.

So all said and done, the schools are a good place to start. These girls can find self empowerment at school and perhaps eventually free themselves from their abusers.

A river begins with a single rain drop.

I pray for these girls and women and the state of the world as a whole.

HEADSCARF LAW OF FRANCE

Submitted by Rev. Alvin Cordes (not verified) on Tue, 01/31/2012 - 6:08pm.

HEADSCARF LAW OF FRANCE:
The definition of Freedom is: 1: THE QUALITY OR STATE OF BEING FREE AS A: THE ABSENCE OF NECESSITY, COERCION, OR CONSTRAINT IN CHOICE OR ACTION. b: liberation from slavery, … c: the quality or state of being exempt or relaeased from something onerous 2a: a political or civil right b: franchise.” Page 205, Merriam’Webster’s Dictionary of Law, Springfield, Massachusetts, Copyright 1996; presently used as a text book in our junior colleges.
This law of France against the headscarfs is just as “unnecessarily coercive” as the law of the Muslims that their women “must” ware the head scarf.
The Muslim girls and ladies did not ask for a law to keep them or their sisters from any thing, only for freedom NOT TO BE COERCED TO WARE THE HEAD SCARF. Otherwise they would have been just as immoral as their men.