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CNN Live At Daybreak
Vote in French Assembly on 'Headscarf' Legislation
Aired February 10, 2004 - 05:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Should Muslim girls and boys be allowed to wear their traditional head scarves to school? How about skullcaps? Should Jews be allowed to wear them? How about large crosses for Christians?
That's the divisive issue before French lawmakers today.
Let's head live to Paris and Jim Bittermann.
The French assembly is supposed to vote on this today, right?
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just about four and a half hours from now, Carol, in fact, they're going to take up this issue. They've been debating it for the last three days. During the course of this debate here in France, there have been a few compromises made on this legislation, which has been pretty controversial, although more controversial, I think, outside France than within France.
About 70 percent of the French population, according to public opinion polls, say they support this legislation. And in the parliament this afternoon, about two thirds of Jacques Chirac's ruling party are going to be voting for this, if we understand correctly, the way the legislators are going to vote, as well as the socialist opposition.
A couple of the compromises over the last year -- the last few days, this provision for reviewing the law after a year, could bring some of the socialists on board, too. So it could be a fairly large majority that vote in favor of this law, despite the controversy that's out there outside of France and, to some extent, within France -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jim, this is more than just about keeping religion out of the schools.
Doesn't terrorism play into this, too?
BITTERMANN: Well, exactly. I think what tipped the balance for a lot of French people was this presidential commission that held six months of hearings on this issue leading up to Christmas time, when Jacques Chirac said he wanted to propose this law. The commission heard testimony, sometimes behind closed doors, that some of these young ladies in Muslim schools were being influenced by their parents, by their peers, and, in some cases, by fundamentalist groups, to wear head scarves. They were being pressured into wearing head scarves when they didn't really want to. And so the legislators and the powers that be here have decided that one way to avoid that pressure would be to avoid all signs of religious wear in schools altogether.
Now, this would apply only to high schools and grade schools. It wouldn't apply to universities, for instance, with the feeling being that by the time a young lady gets to the university, she is able to express her own free will in some manner that might be a little more liberated than, say, one could in high school, with peer pressure and parental pressure coming from all sides -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, we'll check back with you.
Jim Bittermann live from Paris this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 10, 2004 - 05:35 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Should Muslim girls and boys be allowed to wear their traditional head scarves to school? How about skullcaps? Should Jews be allowed to wear them? How about large crosses for Christians?
That's the divisive issue before French lawmakers today.
Let's head live to Paris and Jim Bittermann.
The French assembly is supposed to vote on this today, right?
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Just about four and a half hours from now, Carol, in fact, they're going to take up this issue. They've been debating it for the last three days. During the course of this debate here in France, there have been a few compromises made on this legislation, which has been pretty controversial, although more controversial, I think, outside France than within France.
About 70 percent of the French population, according to public opinion polls, say they support this legislation. And in the parliament this afternoon, about two thirds of Jacques Chirac's ruling party are going to be voting for this, if we understand correctly, the way the legislators are going to vote, as well as the socialist opposition.
A couple of the compromises over the last year -- the last few days, this provision for reviewing the law after a year, could bring some of the socialists on board, too. So it could be a fairly large majority that vote in favor of this law, despite the controversy that's out there outside of France and, to some extent, within France -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Jim, this is more than just about keeping religion out of the schools.
Doesn't terrorism play into this, too?
BITTERMANN: Well, exactly. I think what tipped the balance for a lot of French people was this presidential commission that held six months of hearings on this issue leading up to Christmas time, when Jacques Chirac said he wanted to propose this law. The commission heard testimony, sometimes behind closed doors, that some of these young ladies in Muslim schools were being influenced by their parents, by their peers, and, in some cases, by fundamentalist groups, to wear head scarves. They were being pressured into wearing head scarves when they didn't really want to. And so the legislators and the powers that be here have decided that one way to avoid that pressure would be to avoid all signs of religious wear in schools altogether.
Now, this would apply only to high schools and grade schools. It wouldn't apply to universities, for instance, with the feeling being that by the time a young lady gets to the university, she is able to express her own free will in some manner that might be a little more liberated than, say, one could in high school, with peer pressure and parental pressure coming from all sides -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, we'll check back with you.
Jim Bittermann live from Paris this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
