France bans religious symbols in schools and hospitals.

[Ned]

"Once, as I was going to the inner city, I suddenly encountered an apparition in a black caftan and black hair locks. It is a Jew? was my first thought.

For, to be sure, they had not looked like that in Linz. I observed the man furtively and cautiously, but the longer I stared at this foreign face, scrutinizing feature for feature, the more my first questions assumed a new form:

Is this a Frenchman?"

Jacques Chirac, 2003.

[Mazarin]

poor troll, ned. you could've at least replaced Linz.

[DAVOUT]

The disgusting use of your freedom of expression achieves brilliantly what it was made for : kill my desire to discuss.

Nevertheless I am soory for you, poor Ned.

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by DAVOUT


Quite contradictory with your source :

"It is understood" but the Russians are not actually quoted to that effect - - in any case, theyve stated a percentage reduction in exchange for a quid pro quo from Iraq - its sounds like a "done deal". They may formally take it before the Paris Club, but I cant see the Paris club vetoing it, or Russia accepting any such veto.

[Saint Marcus]

Adolf Hitler, "Mein Kampf," Houghton Mifflin Company, 1971 at 56.

Good thing you're not here, Ned. Quoting from Mein Kampf is not done, and could get you in serious trouble.

[DAVOUT]

The action consisting of formally taking a case before an informal club is strange enough to look diplomatic.

But you possibly know more than me: Baker had completed his triumphal trip in disbanding the Paris Club, for instance.

[Saint Marcus]

Jacques Chirac, 2003.

And that's just tasteless.

[Shi Huangdi]

"change it around and it still applies."

No, it does not. You very rarerly here the same type of whining on US issues.

"They are PUBLIC schools, paid for by public money,"

Dont Moslems pay taxes too?

"It's a democracy, after all."

Yes, and democraticaly elected governments in the South denied Blacks the better public schools. Just because a democracy decides to do it with regard to a public institution does not make it right?

"Now that many Jewish students have suffered physical or verbal agressions in France, it has suddenly become religiously OK to wear anything on your head according to the French Jewish school directors, skullcaps merely covering the minimal required surface."

I doubt this would be the case though for all Jewish people, especially Orthodox Jews, that none would want to wear attire indicating their Jewish status.

"BTW, I'd like you to quote the Coran on the religious obligation to wear a scarf. I'm listening."

It is not my interpretation of the Moslem faith nor Chiracs interpretation of the Moslem faith. If the families concerned believe Islam requires the hijaab, as most religious Moslems do, then they should be allowed to follow their conscious and wear it, and they should not be discriminated against for their choice.

"Although this is unlikely, this will most probably depend on the teacher.
In general, teachers like to have uncovered students in front of them, but they can individually decide to tolerate it from religious people, rather than ratting them out or force them to uncover."

And if the religious Jews are required to be uncovered, it will be a grave instance of discrimination.

"find inexistant weapons."

We do not know they are inexsistant. The search for WMDs have been severely hampered by the insurgency.

"Good thing you're not here, Ned. Quoting from Mein Kampf is not done, and could get you in serious trouble."

Yes, fortunately Ned has more freedom of speech then that.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Quoting from Mein Kampf is not done, and could get you in serious trouble.

I continue to wonder why this utterly anti-free speech law exists. Not that it was in poor taste, but Ned has the right to be in poor taste .

[Saint Marcus]

I continue to wonder why this utterly anti-free speech law exists.

Hint: what happened in Europe in the years 1939-1945?

[Bereta_Eder]

Don't worry Imran. When the US will get defeated and held accountable for its crimes in the world consciousness (not that it hasn't already but to a larger degree that will encompass even yourselves) as many countries have I'm sure you'll be banning many things too

[Kuciwalker]

n/m I was on the wrong page

[Imran Siddiqui]

Hint: what happened in Europe in the years 1939-1945?

Doesn't explain anything. So what, a bunch of Nazis ran around. So you ban it? Doesn't sound very free speech to me. By that logic the US should ban the Confederate flag and any mention of them and stop all battle reinactments.

That'd be silly.

[Saint Marcus]

So what, a bunch of Nazis ran around.

They didn't just "run around", Imran. sick comment.

By that logic the US should ban the Confederate flag

What the Nazis did was a million-fold worse than what the Confederates did!

Please tell me you don't take your post seriously, please.

[Bereta_Eder]

He does. He has no sense of history