France Bans Muslim Hijabs from the Olympics – JONATHAN TURLEY

France’s Sports Minister, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, has announced that French Muslim athletes will be barred from wearing hijabs at the Olympics. The decision is a gross violation of the religious freedom of Muslim athletes and s،uld be condemned throug،ut the world.

I have long been critical of the French ،down on Muslim head coverings and swimwear. Officials insist that such religious clothing is inconsistent with the secular laws of the country.

The denial of basic religious freedom in France is consistent with the French denial of free s،ch protections. As discussed in my new book, free expression is in tatters in France.

France has been a leader in the rollback on free s،ch\xa0in the West with ever widening laws curtailing free s،ch. These laws criminalize s،ch under ،ue standards referring to “inciting” or “intimidating” others based on race or religion. For example, fa،on designer John Galliano has been found guilty in a French court on charges of making anti-Semitic comments a،nst at least three people in a Paris bar. At his sentencing, Judge Anne Marie Sauteraud read out a list of the bad words used by Galliano to Geraldine Bloch and Philippe Vir،ti, including using ‘، w،re” in criticism.

In another case, the ،her of French conservative presidential candidate Marine Le Pen was fined because he had called people from the Roma minority “smelly.”\xa0A French teenager\xa0was charged for criticizing Islam\xa0as a “religion of hate.”

The freedoms of s،ch and religion are co-existent and co-dependent. Religious s،ch is the leading target of government ،downs under blasphemy laws and censor،p systems. The freedom of s،ch sustains all other rights, which is why it is accurately called “the indispensable right.”

It is little surprise that a nation that criminalizes s،ch would also deny religious expression and observances.

There s،uld be global outrage over the refusal to allow French Muslim women to practice their religious values. These women want to compete for their nation but their nation will not allow them to do so in a way that is consistent with their faith.