what has been the effext of the headscarf bannig in France

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Request for Question Clarification by politicalguru-ga on 23 May 2005 03:05 PDT

Dear Seniorita, 

This is a wide topic. Could you please describe "effect" in which level or field?

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Clarification of Question by senorita1983-ga on 23 May 2005 03:42 PDT

effects on Muslim society, and whether or not it seems the ban has
helped them in integration

Dear Seniorita, 

The law banning religious symbols (not only the Muslim headscarf, but
also Jewish and Christian symbols) from schools went into force in
September 2004. Since not even a full school-year has passed by, it is
difficult to estimate the effects for sure.

There are two possible effects - one immidiate, on the schoolgirls
who'd have to decide whether or not to take of their hijab; the other,
symbolic, and the status and the sense of belonging of the Muslim
community in France.

In the first level, it could be claimed that the problem is not large scaled: 

In September 2004, when France began to enforce the law, it was
reported that "about 120 schoolgirls across France insisted on keeping
their headscarves at the start of term, but most have since given in
under threat of expulsion.? Others resorted to forms of protest, like
a Muslim teen, who decided to shave her head completely (SOURCE:
?Muslim Girl Shaves Head over Ban?, BBC News, 1 October, 2004,
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3708444.stm> )

You can also read about it here: 
Daniel Williams, ?In France, Students Observe Scarf Ban?, Washington
Post, September 3, 2004; Page A11,
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55425-2004Sep2.html>

In October 2004, the number of those who continued to resists the new
law decerased:  ?Another five girls could be expelled this week as the
Education Ministry gave school districts the signal to start taking
action against 72 students who could not be persuaded to obey the
law.? (AP, ?French Head Scarf Ban Underway?, Oct. 20, 2004,
<http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/08/30/world/main639381.shtml>).

In March 2005 the official numbers decreased even more, but at the
same time, a Pakistani newspaper published the statistics of a Muslim
advocacy organisations, claiming that several hunderd schoolgirls are
"victims of the law". The newspaper also reported the incerase in
demand for Muslim private schooling:

?Hanifa Cherifi, the ministry?s inspector general, said only 48 pupils
had been expelled from schools for wearing headscarves while almost
600 more had agreed to uncover their hair.

[?]: Activists at the UOIF fair took a more negative view. The March
15 Freedom Committee, which runs a telephone hotline to advise
schoolgirls, counted at least 806 ?victims of the law? including
drop-outs and girls pressured to uncover their hair.

?There are girls who took off their headscarves but now want to put
them back on. There are girls who simply dropped out of school whose
numbers we don?t know,? said National Secretary Fatima Ayach at the
Paris-based committee?s stand.?
[?] 
?In the northern city of Lille, Lycee Averroes - the only approved
Muslim high school in France - saw enrolment grow from 15 when it
opened in 2003 to 45 this academic year, said deputy principal
Makhlouf Mameche.? (SOURCE: Tom Heneghan, ?French veil ban prompts
Muslims to open separate schools?, Daily Times Pakistan, 31st March
2005, <http://www.prohijab.net/english/france-hijab-news23.htm> ).

In April, a French Cardinal claimed that the law is "unenforceable": 
Cardinal Rating, ?Cardinal says French headscarf ban ?unenforceable??
Apr 15, 2005 , <http://www.cardinalrating.com/cardinal_73__article_1221.htm>

On the second level, the symbolic one, there has been political/social
activity to reverse the ban. However, as also mentioned here in the
comments, it seems that the ban did not enhance the integration of
Muslims into the French society, but caused further alienation.

In the political level, French and Muslim loobies attempted to reverse
the situation through the EU:
?EP Members Seek to Lift the Ban on Islamic Headscarf in France? The
Journal of Turkish Weekly , Wed, 24 Feb 2005
<http://www.prohijab.net/english/france-hijab-news19.htm>

In the social level, as mentioned before, it has been claimed that the
ban only increased alienation and expressions of racism:
 ?By imposing secularity on pupils for the first time in the history
of the republic, the French government has called into question the
very foundations of the secular school system - the right of every
child to a free education. But the hijab ban had little to do with
reinforcing secularism. In reality, the debate on the headscarf has
served as a magnificent political diversion masking France's deeper
social and economic problems around the rise of unemployment and
casualisation.

The ban has also helped to undermine the growth of a serious and
growing social movement opposed to public sector retrenchment, with
the radical teachers and students of French schools at its nerve
centre.?
(SOURCE: Naima Bouteldja, ?The reality of l'affaire du foulard?,
Guardian Unlimited, February 25, 2005,
<http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,11882,1425024,00.html>).

In conclusion, although it is too early to indicate any currents of
integration or marginalisation in the French society, it seems that
the ban furthered the alienation of French Muslims as a minority, and
deepened their marginalisation.

Further Reading (about the ban): 
===============
Patrick Weil , ?A nation in diversity: France, Muslims and the
headscarf ?, Open Democracy, 25 March 2004,
<http://www.opendemocracy.net/faith-europe_islam/article_1811.jsp>

Sarah A. Curtis , ?What the French Ban on Head Scarves Says About
France ?, Sept. 20, 2004, <http://hnn.us/articles/7442.html>

Tony Wilson, ?Handling the Headscarf Issue: The French Headscarf  Ban
in a European Context?
<http://www.arts.auckland.ac.nz/FileGet.cfm?ID=C79B0D70-0CC5-407E-87E2-C818F64E06A8>

Muhamad Ali, ?Headscarf Ban and Multi-Secularisms?, The Jakarta Post,
20 January 2004,  As quoted in Yale Global
<http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=3162>

Liberal Islam Network, ?Andree Feillard: Most Muslim Women in France
Do Not Wear Headscarfs? , 26/1/2004,
<http://islamlib.com/en/page.php?page=article&id=542>

Wikipedia, French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols
in schools , <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_law_on_secularity_and_conspicuous_religious_symbols_in_schools
>

I hope this answers your question. Please contact me if you need any
further clarifications on this answer before you rate it. My search
terms have been:
france ban head scarf muslim "feb 2005", france ban hijab "february
2005", france ban headscarf muslim "jan 2005", france ban head scarf
muslim "january 2005", france ban head scarf muslim "dec 2004", france
ban headscarf muslim "dec 2004", france ban hijab "december 2004",
site:www.prohijab.net france ban hijab nov, france ban head scarf
muslim "november 2004", france ban headscarf muslim "november 2004",
france ban hijab "november 2004", france ban head scarf muslim, france
ban headscarf muslim, france ban hijab,

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Request for Answer Clarification by senorita1983-ga on 08 Jun 2005 06:29 PDT

In terms of effects on education, there does not appear to have been
much damage, just some emigration for some girls to catholic schools,
some even girls leaving the country too?

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Clarification of Answer by politicalguru-ga on 08 Jun 2005 08:06 PDT

Dear Seniorita, 

In terms of education, at leats in the short term, there's a
discussion of some 800 girls who moved to ***muslim*** schools (not
Catholic ones) or have left school altogether. If you read in the
links I've given you, there's a little more information on that. There
is no information on any girls who have left the country consequently.

Integration?  France's aims are purely anti-clerical relics of the
Revolution of generations ago.  It is plain and simple infringement on
freedom of religion.  Hardly surprising from the country that has
outlawed overtime.

Seniorita,
I don't know how close or removed you are from the discussions about
Islamic headscarves in France (and also in Germany).  Before 9/11/01
there seemed to be no problem with it, per se.  There was discussion
about strict Muslims' not allowing their daughters to partake in
school sports or overnight outings, but headscarves as such were no
problem.  After 9/11, the headscarf began to be seen as an outspoken
religious symbol, indeed as a symbol of extreme Islamic tendencies,
supression of women, etc., etc.
In France, the laicistic (non-clerical) principles of the state were
remembered, resulting in the law banning headscarves in state schools
as a presumed expression of religious orientation.  I have read that
some families then enrolled their daughters in Catholic schools, where
they could were headscarves, which is an interesting sidelight to the
subject.

I believe that it is not claimed that this law was intended to further
integration, and it is certainly too soon to discover if it has or
will.

Here in Germany, the "attack" on headscarves is directed at teachers,
since they may not  - under other laws -  profess their religion in
their school.  School girls may continue to wear headscarves, even as
teachers still in training, since they are considered to be still in
their education.  The laws passed have tried to tread a very narrow
line between being impartial about barring religious symbols but still
wanting to accept that inobtrusive Christian symbols  may be worn  - a
cross on a necklace chain, for example.

Whether integration will be furthered?  At the moment, it seems that
confrontation has been the immediate result, indeed a "plain and
simple infringement on freedom of religion."

Seniorita,
      France's rejection of overt religious imagery coupled with a
habit to completely assimilate her immigrants can be seen throughout
post revolutionary history.  Keep in mind that France has always been
a leader in accepting refugees (albeit questionable during WWII).  I
do believe the law is contrary to freedom of religion, but its origins
and implications also show the fear of 'cultural invasion'.  France
accepts immigrqants who are willing to abandon their previous identity
and completely adhere to the 'French' way of life. By the way,
'outlawing overtime' is, in my mind, a positive practice supporting a
better quality of life.  France is second only to Germany in terms of
vacation length and paid time off!

Lovehistory,
"... is only second to Germany ..." but look where Germany's economy
stands among those of the other members of the EU.  But I agree with
the rest of your commment.
Myoarin from east of the Rhine

Myoarin,
Thank you for your support on half of my comment. I should clarify
that Germany's GDP per capita is $28,700 (2004 est.) and France's is
$28,700 (2004 est.).  Therefore, France and germany have the exact
same GDP per capita showing that Germany's economy is neither stronger
nor weaker than that of France.  For the entire EU, the GDP per capita
is $26,900 (2004 est.).  This represents nations whose GDP goes as
high as Luxembourg: $58,900 (2004 est.), and as low as some
ex-communist countries (recent members, such as Estonia:$14,300 (2004
est.)

I was looking at growth rate  - or lack thereof -  Lovehistory, but
maybe France's is just as bad, I hope not.

Seniorita,

This is the text of German radio comment on the subject from 3. June.
Maybe you can get translation software to work on it, maybe if you let
google search on it.

http://www.dradio.de/dlf/sendungen/europaheute/383036/

It says that the resistance to the law by Islamic religious
organizations has increased, and that there is discussion about
extending the law to hospitals and govt. offices.  The govt says that
50 girls have been expelled from schools, which does not count those
who have transferred to private schools or alternate forms of
schooling.  An Islamic organization says that 806 girls have been
affected by the law in this way.
The girls must remove the scarves before entering school property,
which is controlled by school officials.
The tenor of the broadcast does not suggest that law is furthering integration.

Myoarin

And two more - slightly related - news from Germany (unfortunately in German): 

Referendarin darf Kopftuch im Unterricht tragen (Spiegel, 20. May 2005)
<http://www.spiegel.de/unispiegel/studium/0,1518,356763,00.html> 
A court in the state (Land) of Bremen ruled, that a teaching seminary
student could teach with her headscarf on.

Auch Muslime müssen mitmachen (Spiegel, 01. June 2005)
<http://www.spiegel.de/unispiegel/studium/0,1518,358424,00.html> 
About court rulings, that Muslim students must participate also in
classes that do not "adhere" with their parents' religious views, such
as biology (especially sex education), or sports (especially
swimming).