FRANCE: An estimated 3,000 protesters, including many young women in Muslim headscarves, demonstrated in Paris yesterday against the French government's plan to ban overt religious symbols in schools.
The proposal, announced by President Jacques Chirac on Wednesday, has been welcomed by most local religious leaders but has drawn the ire of Muslims.
The predominantly Muslim demonstrators brandished French identity cards or the national flag as they marched carrying banners that read "My veil, my voice" or "Veil, cross, kippa, leave us the choice".
The draft law, which the government hopes to submit to parliament in February, would ban religious symbols such as headscarves, Jewish skullcaps and large Christian crosses.
Devout Muslims believe women should cover their hair from the view of men not related to them. Devout Jewish men wear skullcaps, or kippas, as a sign of constant reverence to God.
Pupils will still be allowed to wear discreet symbols of faith such as Islamic pendants, the star of David or crosses.
Influential Muslim clerics have urged Muslims to use their political and economic influence over France to fight the draft law, while Syria's top cleric called on Mr Chirac yesterday to reconsider the legislation.
Keftarou urged Mr Chirac in a letter "to reconsider backing this decision to be in harmony with the great history of France . . . and its moderate tradition in allowing co-existence between religions, races and various nationalities."
Mr Jacques Martin, conservative mayor of Nogent-sur-Marne to the east of Paris, fuelled the controversy this week by ordering couples not to wear any religious, political or other overt symbols during civil wedding ceremonies.
Anti-racism groups said the measure was legally dubious and would only help to stir up ill-feeling towards Muslims, but Mr Martin dismissed the polemic as a "storm in a teacup". - (Reuters)