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Secularism in the United States, France, and Turkey: An Historical Perspective
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Secularism in the United States, France, and Turkey: An Historical Perspective
Ahmet T. Kuru
University of Washington, Department of Political Science
## email not listed ##
Paper Presented at the American Political Science Association Conference, Washington,
DC, September 1-4, 2005
Research Question
On December 11, 2003, the Stasi Commission including eighteen French “sages” submitted a
report on secularism to President Jacques Chirac. The French executive and legislators
enthusiastically embraced the commission’s recommendation of a law to prohibit the display of
religious symbols by students in public schools. While the primary target of this new law appears
to have been the Muslim headscarf worn by female students, it was also extended to cover the
Jewish kippa and “large” Christian crosses. A week after the Stasi Report, the United States
Department of State released its 2003 “Report on International Religious Freedom.” At the
accompanying press conference, Ambassador John Hanford answered the following questions:
Question: What was your reaction to President Chirac's headscarf ban…?Ambassador: [A] fundamental principle of religious freedom that we work for in many countries of the world, including on this very issue of headscarves, is that all persons should be able to practice their religion and their beliefs peacefully without government interference....President Chirac is concerned to maintain France's principle of secularism and he wants that, as I think he said, not to be negotiable. Well, of course, our hope is religious freedom will be a non-negotiable as well. One Muslim leader said this is a secularism that excludes too much....[A] number of countries...restrict headscarves;...where people are wearing these with no provocation, simply as a manifestation of their own heartfelt beliefs, that we don't see where this causes division among peoples.Question: You're referring to Turkey, yes?Ambassador: Turkey would be another country, yes.
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"Release of the 2003 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom," 18 December 2003, accessed on the web
site of US Department of State at http://www.state.gov/s/d/rm/27404pf.htm, 24 April 2004.
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Secularism in the United States, France, and Turkey: An Historical Perspective
Ahmet T. Kuru
University of Washington, Department of Political Science
## email not listed ##
Paper Presented at the American Political Science Association Conference, Washington,
DC, September 1-4, 2005
Research Question
On December 11, 2003, the Stasi Commission including eighteen French “sages” submitted a
report on secularism to President Jacques Chirac. The French executive and legislators
enthusiastically embraced the commission’s recommendation of a law to prohibit the display of
religious symbols by students in public schools. While the primary target of this new law appears
to have been the Muslim headscarf worn by female students, it was also extended to cover the
Jewish kippa and “large” Christian crosses. A week after the Stasi Report, the United States
Department of State released its 2003 “Report on International Religious Freedom.” At the
accompanying press conference, Ambassador John Hanford answered the following questions:
Question: What was your reaction to President Chirac's headscarf ban…?
Ambassador: [A] fundamental principle of religious freedom that we work for in many
countries of the world, including on this very issue of headscarves, is that all persons
should be able to practice their religion and their beliefs peacefully without government
interference....President Chirac is concerned to maintain France's principle of secularism
and he wants that, as I think he said, not to be negotiable. Well, of course, our hope is
religious freedom will be a non-negotiable as well. One Muslim leader said this is a
secularism that excludes too much....[A] number of countries...restrict
headscarves;...where people are wearing these with no provocation, simply as a
manifestation of their own heartfelt beliefs, that we don't see where this causes division
among peoples.
Question: You're referring to Turkey, yes?
Ambassador: Turkey would be another country, yes.
1
"Release of the 2003 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom," 18 December 2003, accessed on the web
site of US Department of State at http://www.state.gov/s/d/rm/27404pf.htm, 24 April 2004.
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