Scholar Jonathan Laurence on How Europe Can Integrate Muslims

The debate over allowing Muslim women in France to wear headscarves, niqabs, and burkas in schools and public places continues to resonate with people across the globe. A 2010 law banning burkas and niqabs in public spaces was viewed favorably by those who sought an official condemnation of Islamic fundamentalism and female victimization—but drew criticism from staunch believers in freedom of religious expression and individual liberty. In a recent NY Times article, Jonathon Laurence, associate professor of political science at Boston College, writes that he believes granting full religious liberty does not victimize but rather frees women to integrate into French society:

The recognition and accommodation of Islamic religious practices, from clothing to language to education, does not mean capitulation to fundamentalism. On the contrary, only by strengthening the democratic rights of Muslim citizens to form associations, join political parties and engage in other aspects of civic life can Europe integrate immigrants and give full meaning to the abstract promise of religious liberty.”¹

Religious liberty is indeed an abstract promise that leaves the French government struggling to find the right balance between freedom of religious expression on the one hand, and a state’s desire to protect citizens from religious beliefs that are too forcibly expressed in public schools or spaces. By taking the choice to wear the burka away from Muslim women, is France impinging on their religious liberty, or restoring their freedom to integrate and fully participate in a democracy?

To read the essay, go to How to Integrate Europe's Muslims