Several posts ago, I mentioned in passing that I would explain a big problem in French schools. It’s a foggy day and I am off work, so today I will write about it. The problem is called laicité. Buckle up.
It is so deeply un-American. I like to think of myself as a cosmopolitan individual; worldly, open-minded, you know. I prefer to see myself as someone who isn’t uncritically wedded to jingoistic ideas. But this multi-headed hydra of French culture is downright revolting to American sensibilities, and I am unable to hide my disgust. Let me explain.
The best translation of laicité is “secularism,” but this still misses the mark. Laicité is not just the separation of church and state; it is the suppression of religious expression in the public sphere. It is the enforcement of a federal dress code. It is a modern extrapolation of the Cult of Reason, the government-led religion that dominated the era of the French Revolution.
The Revolution sprung forth from a growing philosophical movement that was shaking things up across Europe: the Enlightenment. Heard of it, yeah? The Enlightenment’s big idea was that reasoning, not spirituality, could discover truths about the world and could be used to improve the lives of humankind. Skepticism was another important concept; everything needed to be subjected to testing and rational analysis.
The Western world still retains plenty of Enlightenment ideals, such as religious tolerance and the idea that individuals should be free from coercion in their personal lives and consciences. In America, this translates to the modern belief that everyone is entitled to their religious beliefs, in public and private.
In France, the ideas of the Enlightenment meant the dissolution of religion. But listen up: back then, that really only meant the Catholic Church. The revolutionaries were angry that the Church held so much wealth, power, and control. I mean, they weren’t exactly jazzed about religion, but the main problem was the Catholic Church’s influence. The Revolution was not concerned with Muslims, Jews, or even Protestants; they simply weren’t a large enough piece of the population pie (yet).
So, laicité developed in a very different context from our world today. Things have changed for France; the Catholic Church is not nearly as powerful as it once was, and the country is home to lots of religions from all over the world.
To this day, the French pride themselves on being non-religious, despite the thousands of grand cathedrals dotting the cities and countryside of this nation. They pride themselves on it, and tend to look down on people who do practice religion. Their laws match their opinions. For instance, it is illegal to wear anything religious inside a government establishment. This includes all schools and the National Assembly (French Congress). You cannot swear into office with a holy text. You cannot expect to be given an education if you wear a hijab.
The problem is that this law isn’t enforced equally. Just yesterday I saw one of my students wearing a cross necklace in class; technically illegal. But the head teacher said nothing. On the flip side, my Muslim students aren’t allowed inside the building until they take off their headscarves. I can see them in the morning from my classroom window, walking up to the main entrance and carefully pulling off their hijabs. I see them fold the scarves and tuck them into their bags. The girl with the cross necklace was not made to do this.
Muslim women are stopped on the street and harrassed by police and regular people. Their headscarves are ripped off on trains and subways. They are not allowed to wear modest clothing at certain beaches. And besides, if the point of the ban is to protect women from being forced to dress a certain way… isn’t the law also forcing these women to dress a certain way?
In practice, laicité defines a certain image of citizenship, therefore excluding hijabi women from full citizenship. At least, that is the way I see it.
Hopefully, you can see how such laws are an affront to someone like me who grew up under the notion that only barbarians and dictators force people to hide their religions. But I try not to bring it up with French people; it is a very touchy subject, and they do NOT want to hear outside opinions. It would be like a French person lecturing you on guns in America. Like, yes I know it is a big issue. But I am sure that you, a foreigner, do not have the answer!
Anyway. I have now cleared my head about this. I will happily answer any questions if you have them. This a huge, historic, and wildly complicated topic, so please do not let this blog post be the last time you read into it.
Cordialement,
Allison
Flan in France 