sarahscire wrote:Hm. Didn't France sign the
UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
Article 18 states:
"Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance."?
I don't think there's a conflict with what the French are doing. There's lots of places in France, "public or private", where people can worship, teach and manifest whatever religion they like. All the French are legislating is that public schools and other government buildings aren't such places.
Personally, my first priority is that legislation keep things consistent between religions. The worst solution is what we have in Germany, where Christianity is actively promoted in schools and Islam is actively inhibited. In Bavaria for example, it is mandatory for schools to have crucifixes hanging in classrooms, but our state government wants to pass a law against head scarfs. In my opinion, you ought to either outlaw the symbols of all religious or you allow them all.
As a second priority, I prefer to have legislation consistently tolerant about public display of religion, rather than consistently adverse to it. But this preference is much weaker than the first.
The French are consistent, which is good and most important for me. They are also consistently adverse to displaying religion in schools, which isn't so good. But altogether it's a regulation I can live with.
