As Usual, I Don’t Understand You, Mr. Chirac

French President Jacques Chirac wants to ban the wearing of religious headgear in French schools next year. And I can’t for the life of me understand why. I understand that there has been a rise in Islamic militancy in France recently. I understand that the French would like to reverse that trend. But what I don’t understand is what this has to do with headgear. Religious headgear is nothing more than a symbol, a convention. The real issue is that some (not all) Muslims have beliefs and take actions that are violent and dangerous, and those beliefs and actions don’t belong in a civilized society. Removing symbols of school children will not change the beliefs and actions of these militant Muslims. Removing headgear does nothing towards changing these beliefs and actions to make France a more peaceful society.