From Reuters:
A suburban Paris mayor who banned all religious symbols from civil weddings as part of France’s campaign against the Islamic veil [has] brushed off criticism that his hard line will alienate Muslims. . . .
[Martin] banned the veil at civil weddings in November.
Patrick Devedjian, a minister in Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin’s cabinet, warned Martin last week of the risk of alienating citizens.
“A civil marriage service is often the only ceremony marking the wedding,” he said. “Participants…find it natural on such an occasion to act according to their traditions.”
Couples marrying in France must be wed at a civil ceremony at their local city hall and may also have a religious wedding.
Here the government is intentionally discriminating against a religious practice precisely because it’s religious. Muslims aren’t asking for favoritism, or exemption from generally applicable laws that happen to be inconsistent with their religious views. They’re just asking not to be singled out for religious discrimination — and they’re absolutely right.
Thanks to reader Laurence Rothenberg for the pointer.
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