News and Analysis on Islam in Europe and North America
France is known for its strict separation of religion and state, encapsulated in the principle of laïcité. This principle sets the foundation for public schools, which are prohibited from offering religious education or endorsing any religion. To impart religious education, private schools have been established in the country. France has a tradition of Catholic, Protestant
France’s Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera announced on 3rd September 2023 on France 3 that athletes representing France will be barred from wearing hijabs or other religious symbols while competing at the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.1 The minister stated that the ban upholds France’s principle of “strict secularism” or “la laïcité,” in sports and
On Tuesday 30th August, The Council of State (France’s highest administrative court) has agreed to the expulsion of Imam Hassan Iquioussen to Morocco. Citing the ruling by the Council, Gérald Darmanin (Interior Minister) tweeted that Hassan Iquioussen “will be expelled from the national territory” in what he considers to be “a great victory for the
At the summit of the international coalition against ISIS (an 83-nation coalition), held in Rome on June 28th, US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken stated “The United States continues to urge countries – including coalition partners – to repatriate, rehabilitate and, where applicable, prosecute its citizens“1. According to the Guardian, these remarks were primarily
The departmental elections ( one of the local levels of state administration ) will take place in the summer of 2021. Two local candidates of the presidential majority have faced online backlash after a member of the extreme-right party Rassemblement National (RN) vehemently criticized the presence of a veiled woman as second substitute on the