Reconciling the ijāb within laïcité France

Author: Abilmouna Raed  

Publisher: Routledge Ltd

ISSN: 1528-817X

Source: Journal of Islamic Law and Culture, Vol.13, Iss.2-3, 2011-10, pp. : 117-132

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Abstract

What transpires when religious freedom and expression extend from the privacy of one's home and into the public sphere? Recent laws passed in France regarding the ijāb and face-veil vividly illustrate the tensions between a “secular“ society and the right to religious freedom and expression. Moreover, Muslim women have been confronted with having to choose between conforming to French traditions of laïcité and their right to religious freedom and expression in the public sphere. As such, the broader question that this paper addresses is, to what extent are Muslims able to reconcile elements of Shari'a law that are incompatible with the laws of the state in which they reside?