Overstepping boundaries in France

In light of religious-based violence in France, officials there are pushing for a ban on… In light of religious-based violence in France, officials there are pushing for a ban on wearing religious symbols in public schools.

This would include Christian crosses, Jewish skullcaps and Sikh head coverings.

In a parliamentary debate Tuesday, Education Minister Luc Ferry said that the planned ban could even extend to beards, sometimes worn as an alternative method of Muslim identification.

Separation of church and state is an idea that Americans hold dear. Attempts to curb violence are a good thing. Yet, in this case, the French are going too far with both.

Where does protection end and intrusion begin? It’s a noble goal of any government to protect its citizens. It is not any government’s place, however, to regulate the religious choices and expressions of its citizens.

The proposed ban is attacking the problem of religious violence from the wrong end. It is unfair to regulate the behavior of potential victims of ethnic attacks. The right way to approach the problem is to crack down on those who would perpetrate such attacks. To enact a ban on religious expression for fear that it will provoke hate crimes is like telling women that short skirts are illegal because they can provoke rape. It’s simply wrongheaded.

A more sinister interpretation of the proposed ban would be to see anti-Muslim sentiment beneath it. France has a sizeable Muslim population, and it exists in a climate of fear and distrust. So, it is within the realm of possibility that this ban is meant to take from Muslims a common bond, a means of identification and rallying, and that banning Christian and Jewish symbols is merely paying lip service to fairness.

Banning beards, specifically, is completely absurd. To say that a Muslim wearing a beard is trying to sneak around a ban on other religious expression is a tenuous connection at best. It’s a draconian measure, completely uncalled for. Besides, beards are not exclusively religious symbols. Will lazy teens unaccustomed to the need for daily shaving be persecuted as religious extremists? Will Christian boys be allowed to wear beards, but not their Muslim classmates? When does careless grooming become religious expression?

It’s unfair to leave this distinction to public school teachers, who have enough to do without searching for contraband symbols. If religiously motivated crimes are a problem, punish the criminals, not the victims.