In Europe, people will find any reason to claim they’re not anti-religion when they ban religious practices.
In Denmark and Switzerland, when it comes to ritual slaughter (Jewish shechitah and Muslim halal), the masses say they are animal rights activists. Yet, until recently, bestiality was legal in Denmark and hunting remains not only legal in both, but an important tradition.
In Switzerland, a teenage Muslim boy was fined for not shaking the hand of his female teacher because this allegedly showed a lack of respect. Yet, it is not a universal tradition for Swiss students to shake their teachers’ hands.
In France, it’s now hygiene — or women’s rights. These are the ostensible reasons for contemplating banning burkinis, the swim costume worn by some Muslim women. Yet, at least some will admit that the real reason is the preservation of “Laïcité,” French secularity, the same reasoning behind the ban of the hijab several years ago. Yet, it is inconsistently applied and, in this day and age, merely alienates France’s religious Muslim population.
And they wonder why there’s a backlash among religious, second-generation Muslims?
France is the country in which case studies have been done of Muslims who were rejected for jobs, then reapplied with the same credentials but with a French name — and were accepted.
In France, “freedom” of religion is interpreted: Don’t publicly practice your religion. Don’t wear a kipa. Don’t wear a burkini. Don’t wear a hejab. In the US, freedom of religion is interpreted: Practice your religion — or don’t practice it, as you see fit.
The difference is immense.
Copyright © 2016 by the Intermountain Jewish News
