[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 528 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 528

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that France should 
 modify or abandon its ban on religious articles and symbols in state 
  schools and respect the freedom of all to practice their religious 
                   faith without state interference.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 11, 2004

    Mr. Sherman (for himself and Mr. Honda) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that France should 
 modify or abandon its ban on religious articles and symbols in state 
  schools and respect the freedom of all to practice their religious 
                   faith without state interference.

Whereas in February 2004 the French National Assembly approved a bill banning 
        conspicuous religious articles and symbols in state schools;
Whereas the bill stipulates that ``in schools, junior high schools and high 
        schools, signs and dress that conspicuously show the religious 
        affiliation of students are forbidden'';
Whereas the bill forbids students from wearing any of the following dress or 
        symbols, for example, the Muslim headscarf, ``plainly excessive'' 
        crosses, yarmulkes, and Sikh turbans;
Whereas the display of religious insignia on one's body is considered a central 
        tenet and injunction in many of the world's religions;
Whereas to prohibit Muslim, Jewish, Christian, and Sikh students from displaying 
        religious insignia is tantamount to depriving them from practicing their 
        religion;
Whereas in 1989, the highest French administrative court ruled that the wearing 
        of religious insignia in state schools was permissible as long as it was 
        not done with the aim of ``pressure, provocation, proselytism or 
        propaganda'';
Whereas equating any immediately visible personal expression of faith with 
        proselytism or propaganda misrepresents the nature of such practices and 
        distorts the public understanding of religious devotion;
Whereas the bill may violate France's commitment to the European Convention on 
        Human Rights, under which individuals are guaranteed the freedom to 
        manifest religion and belief, in public as well as in private;
Whereas in June 2001 France enacted the widely condemned About-Picard law, which 
        empowers the state to dissolve religious institutions where the actual 
        or perceived leaders of the institution have committed certain criminal 
        offenses;
Whereas France continues to defend this law despite protests by the United 
        States Government, The Council of Europe, and major religious and human 
        rights organizations; and
Whereas state control over personal expressions of faith runs counter to the 
        free exercise of religion, the freedom of speech, and the separation of 
        church and state, and threatens mutual toleration of religions and 
        between religious groups and governments: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) calls upon the Government of France to respect the 
        right of all religious individuals to practice freely their 
        religion and to display insignia of their faith; and
            (2) joins the United States Commission on International 
        Religious Freedom in recommending that the United States 
        Government urge the Government of France to reassess this 
        initiative in light of its international obligations to ensure 
        that every person in France is guaranteed the freedom to 
        manifest his or her religion or belief in public.
                                 <all>