Analyzing Laïcité and Islam: A Study of French Secularism

This essay delves into the contentious issue of religious expression in France, specifically focusing on the clash between the French political ideal of laïcité and the expression of Islam, particularly regarding the headscarf worn by Muslim women. It examines the historical context of this conflict, starting from the 1989 headscarf affair and extending to the 2016 burkini ban. The paper critically analyzes the issue through the lens of Riva Kastoryano's article on French secularism and Islam. The essay offers perspectives from a female Muslim from Egypt and a secular American female, aiming to provide clarity on lessons learned from this issue within a broader framework of diversity and inclusion. It discusses the recognition of Islam as a religious institution in France and evaluates the relevance of strict secularism in multicultural societies. The essay also highlights the gender component of the headscarf issue and the inconsistencies in the application of laïcité, suggesting that actions against headscarf-wearing women may be perceived as discrimination against Islam.

The Intersection of Laïcité and Islam:
Exploring the Relationship between Political Secularism, Religion and Gender
The controversial issue of religious expression in the country of France is not a new
issue, especially in regards to headscarves worn by Muslim women. The clash of French political
ideals of laïcité and freedom of religious expression is a battle that has been ongoing since 1989.
In 1989 three Muslim female students were suspended from their school in the French town of
Creil for refusing to remove their headscarves in school. This issue has caught the attention of
global news this past summer of 2016 when the French government banned women from
wearing the ‘burkini’ (swimwear designed for Muslim modesty standards) on public beaches
(Bilefsky, 2016). This issue intersects across lines of religion, political agenda’s and gender in a
unique way.
This paper will critically analysis this issue through the use of the Riva Kastoryano article
“French Secularism and Islam: France’s Headscarf Affair.” (2006). Finally the authors of this
paper will analyze and reflect upon this issue based on their individual perspectives as a female
Muslim from Egypt and a female American secularist. It is through this analysis and reflection
that this paper aims to provide clarity on lessons learned from this contentious issue in France in
a wider framework of diversity and inclusion.

The French Republic’s policy of laïcité has met an opponent in Islam. This is due to the
fact that Islam is a religious minority in France that requires public expression, mainly
headscarves for females (Kastoryano, 2006). According to French political thinking the nation is
built on principles of nationalism and a political identity rather than ethnic or religious identity.
This ideology was first presented by a lecture by Ernest Renan in 1882 and has recently made a
resurgence in political rhetoric. This increase in French nationalism is seen as a direct effect of
increased migration from North Africa to France; migrants that are largely a Muslim population.
The French separation of religion and state has become increasingly contentious with the
growing French Muslim population (Kastoryano, 2006). In 2003 Islam gained recognition as a
religious institution through the establishment of the Conseil Français Du Culte Musulman
(CFCM). This recognition was an important step for Islam in terms of equality in France, joining
other state recognized religions such as Catholicism and Judaism. This integration of Islam as an
institution is an important step towards equity for French Muslims however, there are still major
issues regarding how individual religious expression can exist in a laïcité state. The modern
reality of ever increasing multicultural societies demands that the French ideal of strict
secularism be evaluated for relevancy and usefulness.
This is an intriguing issue from my perspective as a non-religious American female. On
one hand I can understand the ideal of nationalism that transcends boundaries of ethnicity and
religion. The separation of religion and state is an important aspect of a successful government in
my perspective. However, when hard lines are drawn such as in this example of France the
examples of hypocrisy or inconsistency become more clear. While Muslim women are refused
the right to wear their headscarves are Catholics refused the right to wear religious icons such as
crosses or rosary beads? The Catholic liturgical calendar is followed in most schools in France as

well as celebration of religious holidays such as Mardi Gras and Easter (Erlanger & Freytas-
Tamura, 2015). Due to these inconsistencies in French secularism the actions against headscarf
wearing women appear to me as actions of discrimination against the religion of Islam. This
discrimination serves as a tool to marginalize and disenfranchise the Muslim population of
France.
The issue of the headscarf is not only a question of political sovereignty and religion. It
has an important gender component that needs to be addressed. While there has been some talk
in France of banning beards as a religious symbol (NBC, 2004) this has largely been ridiculed
and rejected.
References
Bilefsky, D. (2016, August 31). France’s Burkini Debate Reverberates Around the World ...
Retrieved October 24, 2016, from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/01/world/europe/burkini-
france-us-germany-africa.html

Kastoryano, R. (2006). Multiculturalism, Muslims and Citizenship: A European Approach.
French Secularism and Islam: France’s Headscarf Affair. p 57-70. New York, New York:
Routledge
Erlanger, S., & Freytas-Tamura, K. (2015, February 5). Old Tradition of Secularism Clashes
With France’s New ... Retrieved October 25, 2016, from
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/06/world/old-tradition-of-secularism-clashes-with-frances-
new-reality.html