London, September 21, 2005
Vijay Dutt
Hindustan Times
A battle against the French law banning pupils in
public schools from wearing 'conspicuous' religious
symbols has reached boiling point in Paris after two
Sikh schoolboys were barred from class earlier this
month because they refused to remove their turban.
In fact, the Sikhs had started protest as soon as
the proposal for banning religious symbols, such as
the Muslim hijab, the Jewish skullcap or the Sikh
turban, by pupils in government schools was made by
the French ministers last year.
The NRI, Sikh pressure groups in Britain and the
US took up the issue and a huge protest march was
organised in Paris. A large number of Sikhs had gone
from Britain to participate. A deputation had also
gone to India and demanded that the Indian Government
take up the matter and persuade Paris to drop the
move to ban wearing of turbans in schools.
Now the tussle is getting more serious. "This
law is utterly unfair because it runs against the
French Constitution which guarantees the freedom of
religion," Kudrat Singh, United Sikhs' leader
in France told the media.
He added that the law was profoundly unjust "because
it prevents young boys from going to school, which
is a fundamental right also enshrined in the Constitution".
The Sikhs have moved a legal petition and asked the
highest court to reconsider the law. Singh said they
were doing their utmost to keep the right to wear
the turban, which is part and parcel of the Sikh religion.
The case is now pending at the Conseil d'Etat (like
the Indian Supreme Court). The plea is that the Sikh
turban is not a 'conspicuous' religious symbol but
a part of religious practice. If the French court
rejects the petition the European Court of Justice
will be moved.
Singh pointed out that from his several travels to
India he has learnt that diversity and differences
make societies richer and more tolerant.
A Frenchman of Jewish origin that converted to Sikhism,
Singh said that the ban had to "do with the nature
of the French political system and the balance of
power due to demographic change within the country".
The ban was initially aimed at stopping Muslim girls
form wearing hijab (head scarves) but then it would
have meant discrimination. The ban was legislated
for all "conspicuous symbols" of all religions.
France has a total population of a little over 60
million, of which most of them are Roman Catholics
and about five million are Muslims. There are about
5000 Sikhs, mostly living in Paris.