.EVERY FEW years the French receive developed concerning an item of spiritual apparel that they view as improper in the classroom. This time a conflict has broken out at la rentru00e9e, the beginning of the new year, over a federal government choice to prohibit coming from condition colleges the abaya, an uncut robe used by some Muslim gals for modesty. To people in countries with a tradition of liberal multiculturalism, the ban seems like an improper breach of the right to spiritual look. To guardians of a rigorous model of French secularism, it is a measure essential to shield the commonwealth coming from theological obstruction. Why is actually France so anxious concerning Muslim dress in its schools?