Why the French Don't Like HeadscarvesThe French government's 2004 decision to ban Islamic headscarves and other religious signs from public schools puzzled many observers, both because it seemed to infringe needlessly on religious freedom, and because it was hailed by many in France as an answer to a surprisingly wide range of social ills, from violence against females in poor suburbs to anti Semitism. Why the French Don't Like Headscarves explains why headscarves on schoolgirls caused