France, a nation that prides itself as epitomizing secularism. Its 1958 Constitution states that “France is an indivisible, secular, democratic and social Republic, guaranteeing that all citizens regardless of their origin, race or religion are treated as equals before the law and respecting all religious beliefs”. While the country claims to enforce “la laïcité” — or constitutional secularism — the actions, or lack thereof, by the government toward minority groups, specifically Muslims and Jews, has opened up doors for the world to raise questions about the French government’s interpretation of la laïcité. The numerous legal actions prompted by religious intolerance in the country raise one question: is France truly secular?

France’s alleged secularism has been notoriously prejudiced against religious minority groups. The French population is comprised of approximately 8 percent Muslims and 1 percent Jews. In 2004 the country banned any signs of religion, including Muslim headscarves, Jewish kippahs and large Christian crosses. Additionally, schools also forced students to get rid of certain attire, like long black skirts and bandanas, as they closely resemble religious symbols like the burqa and the hijab. Alongside all religious symbols being banned in schools, religious symbols have also been prohibited in public spaces. In April 2011, the government banned women from wearing the niqab in public spaces, and even issued that women would have to pay a fine of €150 and attend a “citizenship class” that would remind them of the secularism in France, if they infringed upon the new law.

Such laws disportionately discriminate against some religious groups more than others, specifically certain sects of Islam and Judaism because they adopt religious garb as part of their religious practice. For instance, Jewish and Muslim girls have been sent home from schools and even expelled for not abiding by the new laws and refusing to take off their headscarves. Additionally, while wearing the niqab or the burkini in public has been banned, nuns are free to walk around in habits, and no policeman will force them to take their religiously-motivated clothing off. Sikh men have also been forced to remove their turbans for passport and ID photos. The fact that a small cross on a necklace can be hidden, whereas a hijab or kippah is clearly visible has created a situation wherein laws ensuring secularism disproportionately affect some religious groups more than others; moreover it restricts people’s freedom of religious expression.

Not only do the laws disproportionately affect certain groups more than others, they have also failed to stop citizens from performing actions prompted by anti-semitic and anti-Islamic motives. Anti-semitism has been on the rise in France, as Jewish citizens have been facing attacks such as physical abuse and even murder. In fact, more than 300 Jewish graves were destroyed by teenagers in 2015 and around 100 were vandalised with the swastika symbol in February 2019. The 74 percent increase in anti-semitic incidents in 2018 is an evident indicator of the issue. While the government has proposed laws to tackle anti-semitic comments online, it is yet to deal with the old prejudices of the far right.

What started out as a way to separate church and state, has now turned into a sheet that is meant to cover and account for the actions of religious intolerance. The government claims to have enforced such laws to protect the secularism in the state, but the laws it enforces and its failure to take significant action to stop crimes against Jewish and Muslims citizens shows the state’s anti-apathy towards these groups. The government’s actions have stigmatized religious minorities who are already ostracized within much of French society. They give power to the public and the police to further harass minorities. For instance, after the burkini ban was imposed in 2016, armed Police approached a woman at a beach in Nice and had her remove parts of her clothing, which included a headscarf and a long-sleeved tunic. People at the beach, instead of protesting such an act that clearly hindered the rights and liberties of the woman, supported the police, and even went on to tell the woman to “go home.” It is evident that instead of using its principle of secularism to give equal rights and liberties to all regardless of their religious beliefs, France is attempting to eradicate signs of religion, and is thereby targeting minority groups. What the French government needs to realize is that avoiding religion-based discrimination through secularism is completely different from getting rid of religious symbols in order to hide the religion to avoid the discrimination that comes with it. By imposing bans on items and practices of religious expression, France is confining hijabi women to their homes and making Jews flee to Israel.

Instead of bridging gaps between the majority and minority, France is using its ideology of la laïcité to deepen existing gaps and prejudices. The French may claim to be fighting against this discrimination that is tormenting its Muslim and Jewish population, but either their efforts are nowhere near sufficient, or the battle is already lost.