NEW DELHI: Days ahead of President Francois Hollande's
visit to India; France has indicated that it is not going to overturn
the ban on Sikh turban in its public or government schools. Clarifying
that the ban on religious symbols in schools is not Sikh specific,
diplomatic sources said that Paris
is ready to explain its position - that irrespective of religion no
student can wear any religious symbol to school — if the Indian side
thought it fit to raise the issue with Hollande during his visit to India later this week.
"There is overwhelming support in France for ban on religious symbols in public schools, which prevents Sikh students from wearing turban but this is not specific to them,'' said a source.
"It's the same with the Jews, the Muslims or the Catholics who constitute 75% of France's population. If a Catholic student wants to wear the Cross to school, he has to hide it in his clothes. For a Sikh it is obviously difficult to hide his turban but the law is the same for everybody,'' he added.
According to sources, France had on its own taken up the issue with foreign minister Salman Khurshid when he visited Paris earlier this year, and made the same point before him. "France is open to dialogue over the issue and will encourage groups which have reservations to put forward their point of view so that French authorities can put things in the rights perspective,'' said the source.
The government has repeatedly taken up the issue with French authorities in the past saying that the turban was not just an ``obvious religious symbol'' but also formed the Sikhs' core identity. Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal has again appealed to PM Manmohan Singh to take up the issue with Hollande and explain how the turban is "inextricably'' linked to the Sikhs.
"There is overwhelming support in France for ban on religious symbols in public schools, which prevents Sikh students from wearing turban but this is not specific to them,'' said a source.
"It's the same with the Jews, the Muslims or the Catholics who constitute 75% of France's population. If a Catholic student wants to wear the Cross to school, he has to hide it in his clothes. For a Sikh it is obviously difficult to hide his turban but the law is the same for everybody,'' he added.
According to sources, France had on its own taken up the issue with foreign minister Salman Khurshid when he visited Paris earlier this year, and made the same point before him. "France is open to dialogue over the issue and will encourage groups which have reservations to put forward their point of view so that French authorities can put things in the rights perspective,'' said the source.
The government has repeatedly taken up the issue with French authorities in the past saying that the turban was not just an ``obvious religious symbol'' but also formed the Sikhs' core identity. Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal has again appealed to PM Manmohan Singh to take up the issue with Hollande and explain how the turban is "inextricably'' linked to the Sikhs.
with thanks : TIMES OF INDIA : LINK : for detailed news.
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