THE proposed legislation regarding the banning of headscarves as worn by Muslims (report, January 22) has placed the French Sikh community in an extremely difficult position. Sikh students, many of whom will be extremely reluctant to remove their turbans (an integral part of the Sikh religion), will subsequently be placed at a severe disadvantage educationally. A Sikh student who wishes to practise his or her religion will have no alternative but to seek education in a private school environment. So much for equal opportunities.

It is astounding when considering the sacrifice of the 1.5 million Sikh soldiers who fought during the two world wars to preserve and uphold the values of Western society. The enemy was no threat to them, and for a country that had already occupied their own nation. 5,000 of them gave their lives on French soil, wearing no other protection than their turban. It is ironic to think that the same society is responsible for taking away the freedom that these soldiers died for.

When dealing with the Sikhs, they should look to Britain, which regards the Sikh turban as a racial rather than religious feature, and hence safeguards the rights of this community. I sincerely hope that the French Government changes its stance.

Kamal Singh Missan,
Sheffield

Society’s right

THE freedom to identify publicly with any legal group or philosophy by our choice of speech, dress or symbols is surely absolutely fundamental to a tolerant liberal society. This is not just an issue for Sikhs and Muslims, it applies equally to wearers of Christian crosses, or of badges promoting animal rights or foxhunting. We all hold beliefs and values that someone, somewhere, considers either undesirable or irrational. The French and the Belgians should use parliamentary time for better purposes than suppressing law-abiding minorities.

Geoff Pritchard,
Worcester

The attraction of Europe

THE conspicuous religiosity that has returned to Western Europe is a retrograde step. I am glad to see the strongly secular stance of the French Government. With the defeat of organised religion came a rise in the science and rationalism that made Europe so attractive to the rest of the world. Why do we even consider inhibiting progress by pandering to dangerous superstitions?

John Stitch,
emghol@hotmail.com

Symbol of repression

THIS is one occasion when I have to agree with the French. The greatest safeguard for religious practices can only be found in a secular democratic society. The hijab, veil and burka are clothing worn by Muslim women, but they are not Muslim dress. There is nothing in the Koran which says that women should be dressed in this way. When one thinks of extremes such as the burka, it is hard to imagine that God would have enjoined one half of his most advanced creation to be indistinguishable, like cattle. To understand why the suppression of the female form is prevalent in some societies, one has to delve deep into the male psyche. That women support this form of repression is irrelevant.

The hijab in Western societies is an aggressive and separatist statement against Western culture. No other religious dress has the same connotations: not the Sikh turban nor the Jewish yarmulke. Perhaps the nearest equivalent is the white shroud of the Ku Klux Klan. And to a lot of people this separatist dress is equally offensive.