Secularism does not exist in a vacuum in France it builds upon the negotiation between the religious and secular and has done since 1905. The Muslim headscarf has been a matter of ongoing debate and controversy in the secular state that is France, this continually leads to an ostile image being constructed for Islam, despite the promotion of universality that is allegedly key to the French Republic. This essay discusses the Hijab in France in regard to Jeffrey Stout’s ‘The Folly of Secularism’ and is structured in three main parts. The first part looks at how Secularism is reasserted, the way in which event intellectual, political, social shifts are changing through analysing firstly the controversy itself, then laïcité. The second part discusses
…show more content…
There are a few key years in the French timeline to take into account. 1989 was the year in which Eugene Cheniere, the principal, claimed that he was enforcing laïcité through the expulsion of six Muslim girls occurred due to the refusal to remove their headscarves In 1994, another expulsion occurred for the same reasons, and talk of a bill banning ostentatious religious symbols came into discussion, this was referred to as part of ‘Cheniere 's Crusade’. By 2003 the discussion was reignited leading to the eventual ban in 2004. Another important aspect to consider is the Stasi Commission 's Report, set up to reflect upon and enforce the principles of laïcité. These events highlight the politics of secularity in France in the way that they suggest a crisis of laïcité, it is clear that intellectuals and politicians from both ends of the political spectrum suggest that the ‘secular character; of the French republic is under threat from Islam, this attitude is embodied in the Muslim headscarf. These attempts to locate specifically Muslim religion to outside of the public sphere suggest a lack of integration, and a bias among politicians, the focus in French secularity politics is on maintaining the secular and should a conflict between constitutional principles occur, the state 's right to protect this secular personality will …show more content…
There are two key trajectories of secularism that exist, one being Judeo-Christian and the other being the French laïcité. The latter follows French philosophical ideas that situate and limit religion to a private sphere, thus French Secular politics maintain a distinct separationist narrative, intent on separating the French state from religion. Laïcité suggests that modern politics in France are required to be non-religious because religion (particularly Muslim), is detrimental to the creation of a ‘neutral’ public and political nation. Emmanuel Terray suggests that one ought to understand the controversy as ‘political hysteria’, in which this image of Islam is used to displace other political realities of the French State through discussing the Hijab as a threat to the current functioning of the secular state. However, political scientists, more often than not consider this to be a secular social reality, not one that is necessarily true. In French society, one must negotiate their lives constantly with this tradition of secularism. Secular visions and attitudes, sensibilities, and habits, both reflect upon social reality and construct it through law, education and media., Laïcité is comparable to other secularisms, the United States for example, much like the French Republic is a society that has space
There are a few key years in the French timeline to take into account. 1989 was the year in which Eugene Cheniere, the principal, claimed that he was enforcing laïcité through the expulsion of six Muslim girls occurred due to the refusal to remove their headscarves In 1994, another expulsion occurred for the same reasons, and talk of a bill banning ostentatious religious symbols came into discussion, this was referred to as part of ‘Cheniere 's Crusade’. By 2003 the discussion was reignited leading to the eventual ban in 2004. Another important aspect to consider is the Stasi Commission 's Report, set up to reflect upon and enforce the principles of laïcité. These events highlight the politics of secularity in France in the way that they suggest a crisis of laïcité, it is clear that intellectuals and politicians from both ends of the political spectrum suggest that the ‘secular character; of the French republic is under threat from Islam, this attitude is embodied in the Muslim headscarf. These attempts to locate specifically Muslim religion to outside of the public sphere suggest a lack of integration, and a bias among politicians, the focus in French secularity politics is on maintaining the secular and should a conflict between constitutional principles occur, the state 's right to protect this secular personality will …show more content…
There are two key trajectories of secularism that exist, one being Judeo-Christian and the other being the French laïcité. The latter follows French philosophical ideas that situate and limit religion to a private sphere, thus French Secular politics maintain a distinct separationist narrative, intent on separating the French state from religion. Laïcité suggests that modern politics in France are required to be non-religious because religion (particularly Muslim), is detrimental to the creation of a ‘neutral’ public and political nation. Emmanuel Terray suggests that one ought to understand the controversy as ‘political hysteria’, in which this image of Islam is used to displace other political realities of the French State through discussing the Hijab as a threat to the current functioning of the secular state. However, political scientists, more often than not consider this to be a secular social reality, not one that is necessarily true. In French society, one must negotiate their lives constantly with this tradition of secularism. Secular visions and attitudes, sensibilities, and habits, both reflect upon social reality and construct it through law, education and media., Laïcité is comparable to other secularisms, the United States for example, much like the French Republic is a society that has space