Secularism in Comparative Perspective

Edited by Jonathan Laurence, this new book on Secularism in Comparative perspective

• Brings new texts on the critical issue of Secularism in comparative political contexts

• Includes many non-Western experiences and viewpoints on how secularism is theorized and lived

• Featuring the writing of preeminent scholars – such as Michael Walzer, Asma Afsaruddin, Sudipta Kaviraj AND Carol Ferrara, who wrote an essay on France, which provides a thorough history of the 1789 French Revolution, Church-state relations, colonialism, and education, and how the intersection of these elements with the evolution of French secularism led to modern-day laïcité

Link

Religion and Secularism in France Today

Philippe Portier is Professor of History and Sociology of Secularism at Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, PSL, France.

Jean-Paul Willaime is Emerite Professor of History and Sociology of Protestantism at Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, PSL, France. Both are outstanding scholars.

This groundbreaking volume explores the dynamic life of religion and politics in France and investigates the extent to which the French idea of secularisation has been pushed to be more thorough and radical in its interaction with its other European counterparts.

A must-read !

Link

Rokhaya Diallo, Researcher in Residence in Georgetown Univ (USA)

Bright French author of many books, Washington Post monthly columnist and powerful anti-racism activist, award-winning filmmaker Rokhaya Diallo is one of the major French figures of the new intellectual generation.

Tired to still face the same gap between the so-called "universalist" French republican values and the reality of remaining discriminations, she is one of the leading advocates of social and cultural mixity and tolerance.

She's fighting for an applied version of Human Rights at all levels of French society. In a nutshell, she does not want to be payed with words, and is pleading for day-to-day translation of the French motto "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity".

France: christians unite against increased State control

Major representatives of the three branches of French Christianity, Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox speak out in a column published in the daily Le Figaro yesterday.

They warn about the current "separatism bill" and the threat of an increased State control over churches and religions.

For them, freedom is at stake.

Link.

European Court of Human Rights upholds French full veil ban

The European Court of Human Rights has just upheld a ban by France on wearing the Muslim full-face veil - the niqab. A case was brought by a 24-year-old French woman, who argued that the ban on wearing the veil in public violated her freedom of religion and expression.

The court ruled that the ban "was not expressly based on the religious connotation of the clothing in question but solely on the fact that it concealed the face". The Strasbourg judges' decision is final - there is no appeal against it. From BBC Europe (more here, link).

Religion and secularism in France: see FRANCE.FR

This blog should have advertised earlier about this website. But better late than never!

As 2014 just began, let's emphasize the great value of France.fr, officially launched in 2010.

France.fr is the multilingual website of reference about France, intended for the international general public. Religion and secularism topics are part of it, as one can check here (link).

Regulating religion in Europe: a French author to read

As the French (and Canadian) debate is still quite polarized by "laïcité" (laicity) and the challenge of public regulation of religion, let's have a wider look and remind (among others) the works of Jean-Paul Willaime (link to his page).

A worldwide leading sociologist of religion, Director of studies at the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE, Religious Studies section) and former president of the International Society for the Sociology of Religion (ISSR), visiting professor at the College of Europe, Dr Jean-Paul Willaime is always worth being read.

He has authored many articles in English, including "European Integration, Laïcité and Religion" (link).

BBC page on French laïcité (laicity, secularism)

I have recently discovered an interesting BBC page about French laïcité (particuliar French way to deal with Secularism). 

 

Here is the link: BBC page on French Laïcité (secularism).

This page rightly emphasizes the importance of French History:

"Because of past precedent it is very easy for the French to interpret any strong religious views as a direct threat to their freedom and way of life".

French ban on face-covering veils (Burqa): some explanations

In a very cruel, unfair and misleading editorial, the New York Times criticized the French will to ban the Burqa in the streets (one should say the Niqab: full radical muslim face-covering veil). This editorial was published on January 26, 2010.

The title was: "The Taliban would applaud" (sic).

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What is French "Laïcité" (laicity)?

Our French President has recently drawn criticism after one of his speeches during his visit to the Vatican.

In front of the highest Roman Catholic Clergy, he emphasized the importance of the French "christian roots" (mainly Catholic), while he also pleaded for a "positive" version of "laïcité" (laicity, sometimes translated by secularism).

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