State of emergency declared across France after Paris shootings and explosions

Re:State of emergency declared across France after Paris sho... by stvswn on Friday November 13, 2015 @06:45PM (#10563297)

France jealously guards its secular republic. Separation of church and state is a top priority (well above the U.S. and U.K. -- for instance, head coverings are not allowed in public schools). The French are notably resilient in the face of intimidation (see the protests and solidarity after the Charlie Hebdo shootings). There's a lot about the French for terrorists to hate, which is worthy of admiration in my opinion.

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Re:State of emergency declared across France after Paris sho... by serge2k on Friday November 13, 2015 @07:19PM (#10563516)

> well above the U.S. and U.K. -- for instance, head coverings are not allowed in public schools

is that even really about separation of church and state? Somehow I doubt it.

Also the US takes the, IMO, "better" position of saying that individuals practicing private religion doesn't break separation of church and state. Organized religion does.

Of course the US also effectively forces their children to recite a pledge (which includes "under god"), which I find rather distateful.

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Re:State of emergency declared across France after Paris sho... by stvswn on Friday November 13, 2015 @07:28PM (#10563557)

I'm not endorsing it, but the French attitude (generally) is that religion is a private concern that doesn't belong in the public forum. They view public displays of religion by private individuals with suspicion and distaste, which is different culturally from the U.S. Like I clarified below, I don't admire that specifically -- I do admire that they treasure and protect their civic values in the face of intimidation.

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Re:State of emergency declared across France after Paris sho... by serge2k on Friday November 13, 2015 @07:53PM (#10563682)

or maybe they don't like displays of the Muslim faith.

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Re:State of emergency declared across France after Paris sho... by elros on Friday November 13, 2015 @08:52PM (#10563976)

You can't wear a cross around you neck in a public institution either.

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Re:State of emergency declared across France after Paris sho... by dragonwriter on Friday November 13, 2015 @06:58PM (#10563387)

> Separation of church and state is a top priority (well above the U.S. and U.K. -- for instance, head coverings are not allowed in public schools).

That's not separation of church and state, that's suppression of unpopular religion by the secular state, which is no different than suppression of unpopular religion in favor of a popular religion by the state. (And its not just in schools, though that was one of the focal points in the debates, the ban applies in all public spaces in France.)

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Re:State of emergency declared across France after Paris sho... by solidsnack9000 on Friday November 13, 2015 @08:01PM (#10563733)

On the face of it, there isn't any language targeting a particular religion or its symbols.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_law_on_secularity_and_c...

The French do have a fairly rigorous approach to separation of church and state. Where do they cross the line into something blatantly discriminatory?

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Re:State of emergency declared across France after Paris sho... by dragonwriter on Friday November 13, 2015 @08:07PM (#10563768)

> On the face of it,

On the face of it, sure; OTOH, the specific targeting of traditional attire of certain Muslims was overt among the promoters of both the ban you link to and the broader ban on face covering in public spaces.

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Re:State of emergency declared across France after Paris sho... by stvswn on Friday November 13, 2015 @07:22PM (#10563525)

I wasn't endorsing, and I think you and I would probably agree about quite a bit. I was pointing out ways in which French values are at odds with the terrorists'. Still, I admire their resilience, solidarity, and the willingness to stand up for their culture and values. I think the West could use more of that.

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