Andreas Jeninga/The Hoya Amna Arshad, president of the Muslim Students’ Association at The George Washinton University, rallies against the policies that ban religious insignia in French public schools.

Crowds gathered across the street from the French Embassy last Saturday morning in protest of French President Jacques Chirac’s decision to ban religious insignia from schools.

The proposed ban has caused particular outrage among Muslim and Sikh communities worldwide. Muslim women would be barred from wearing hijab, a traditional cloth head-covering, and Sikhs would be prohibited from wearing turbans, both of which are seen as requirements of their respective faiths.

Large Christian crosses and Jewish yarmulke would also be prohibited in public schools, although Christian and Jewish groups have been less vocal in their opposition. Currently, the law is expected to easily pass through the French legislature and take affect next September.

Chirac claims that the law intends to protect the principle of secularism that many French value. Others see it as an attempt to quell the growing tide of Islamic fundamentalism in France.

Officials at the French Embassy could not be reached for comment but a statement issued in Paris on Dec. 31 by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs defended the policy.

“The decision President Chirac has taken to ban the wearing of headscarves isn’t a decision against the Muslims, it isn’t a decision against Islam,” French Prime inister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said in the statement. “It’s a decision to ensure respect for the French tradition of secularism.

Hadia Mubarak (GRD ’05) quickly denied the French government’s claim to be promoting a secular society. “That is hypocritical. They are subsidizing religious schools, which we don’t even do here in the U.S.,” she said. “Hijab is about obeying God; it is about one’s commitment to God. It has nothing to do with French culture.”

Nearly five million Muslims currently live in France, many from North Africa.

Preetmohan Singh (COL ’00) compared the political power and status of Muslims in France to that of Latinos in the United States,

“From what we’re hearing, this is an attempt [by Chirac] to shore up support among conservative elements in his party,” Singh said.

Scores of women and young girls put a human face on this seemingly political matter at Saturday’s protest.

“Hijab is not merely a covering dress but more importantly, it is behavior, manners, speech and appearance in public. Dress is only one facet of the total being,” literature from the Muslim Students Association of the United States and Canada read. “To claim that a woman’s decision to dress modestly in public somehow infringes upon the rights of others around her defies common sense.”

Protesters held homemade signs and chanted, “We all have a right to choose, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Jews.” otorists drove by honking their horns in both approval and opposition.

“The turban is a mandatory and integral part of Sikh’s identity and faith as laid down by its founders,” Singh said. “France’s draconian legislation banning religious insignia is going to have a detrimental effect on Sikhs and other people of faith in France.”

He expressed solidarity with Muslim groups and all others who would be harmed by the ban.

“Injustice against any one group is injustice against all of us,” he said.

Asma Mirza (MSB ’06), a Muslim who wears hijab, attacked the government’s policies as overly obtrusive.

“I don’t see how the French people and the French government can feel threatened by a piece of cloth on my head,” she said.

Mirza said that wearing hijab frequently fosters an inter-religious dialogue when other people ask her about it.

“It helps them learn about Islam and it also helps me learn about other religions.”

Many of the protesters’ chants and arguments focused on religious freedom.

“[Freedom of religion] is something that most Americans believe in regardless of religious affiliation. It’s something that unites us all as Americans in general,” Shadi Hamid (SFS ’04) said.

Despite the large majority of Muslim protesters, Esa Syeed (COL ’06) warned that more than Islam was at stake.

“This is not just a Muslim issue,” Syeed said. “In the end, it’s going to affect people of all different backgrounds.”

Omar Matadar, a senior at George Washington University’s Columbia School of Arts and Sciences highlighted the diversity of the crowd at the protest.

“One thing that is always impressive with American citizens is that they are always concerned with social justice regardless of the cause,” Matadar said. “I see people here who are neither Muslim nor French yet they are still concerned.”

“I’m sure that the French government is hearing the message,” Mirza said. “Whether or not they’ll act upon it, I don’t know.”