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WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A, December 15, 2003: The Institute on Religion and Public Policy is watching closely the debates in Western Europe regarding religious garb. This is an issue which may already be impacting Hindus, and which Hindus should watch closely. As Europe struggles with the integration of its rising Muslim population and a new wave of anti-Semitism, a long-awaited official report on church-state relations in France is recommending sweeping changes in the way the country balances its fierce commitment to secularism with the demands of its religious minorities. The French report’s most dramatic recommendation, which was delivered December 12, 2003, to President Jacques Chirac, was to urge passage of a law banning “conspicuous” religious symbols in public schools. Such symbols would include head scarves worn by Muslim girls, skullcaps worn by Jewish boys, and large crosses worn by Christians. This report does not say if the Hindu bindi would be considered “conspicuous.” Although the report was into the wider question of French secularism, debate on the issue has focused on the wearing of Islamic headscarves in schools. “Discreet” medallions and pendants which merely confirm a person’s religious faith would be allowed.



“The issue of conspicuous display of religious garb cuts right at the heart of religious rights,” commented Institute President Joseph K. Grieboski. “To a Jewish man the kippa (skull cap) is a means to draw out one’s inner sense of respect for God, to remind Jews of God, who is the Higher Authority ‘above us’ (Kiddushin 31a). External actions create internal awareness; wearing a symbolic, tangible ‘something above us’ reinforces that idea that God is always watching.” “Crosses and crucifixes in Christian theology are used to inculcate lessons of piety, are concerned with the order of ideas, and serve as a simple physical reminder of the presence of God in our lives,” continued Mr. Grieboski. “In Islam, the headscarf is meant to elevate the status of the Muslim woman by preserving her dignity and honor. Islam has been preserving the correct and proper dress code, not only for ladies, but for men as well.” Mr. Grieboski continued. “The governments of France and Germany are impeding the very free expression of religious beliefs at the heart of a democratic system and beginning down a very slippery slope, worsened by the arbitrary distinctions made between public and private by the state.”

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