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50 Members of Congress Send Letter
Expressing Concern Over Ban of Articles of Faith
[Return to Main French
Ban Page]
Congressmen Mike Honda (D-CA) and Vernon Ehlers (R-MI),
coordinating with Sikh groups, sent a memo to fellow Congressmen
asking them to sign onto a letter to the French Government
expressing concerns over the ban of article of faith. The
Sikh Coalition sent representatives to walk the halls of
Congress to gather support for the letter, and organized
a virtual campaign on the issue. The Coalition would like
to thank the more than one hundred individuals and organizations
who told us they called their congressional representative
and asked them to support the Honda-Ehlers letter. The French
ban is expected to pass this week, after which additional
measures will be needed to ensure the Sikh perspective is
represented.
List of Signees
1. Michael Honda (D-CA)
2. Barbara Lee (D-CA)
3. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
4. John Lewis (D-GA)
5. Tim Bishop (D-NY)
6. Ed Case (D-HI)
7. Bobbie Scott (D-VA)
8. Lane Evans (D-IL)
9. Jim Marshall (D-GA)
10. Jerry Nadler (D-NY)
11. Gregory Meeks (D-NY)
12. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX)
13. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI)
14. Bob Filner (D-CA)
15. Brad Sherman (D-CA)
16. Tom Udall (D-NM)
17. Shelley Berkley (D-NV)
18. David Scott (D-GA)
19. Donald Payne (D-NJ)
20. Ken Lucas (D-NY)
21. Jay Inslee (D-WA)
22. Adam Schiff (D-CA)
23. Chris Bell (D-TX)
24. Linda Sanchez (D-CA)
25. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
26. Pete Stark (D-CA)
27. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
28. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI)
29. John Shinkus (R-IL)
30. Joe Crowley (D-NY)
31. Xavier Becerra (D-CA)
32. Steve Israel (D-NY)
33. Gary Ackerman (D-NY)
34. Charles Gonzalez (D-TX)
35. Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)
36. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI)
37. Donna Christensen (D-VI)
38. Joe Hoefel (D-PA)
39. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
40. Barney Frank (D-MA)
41. John Conyers (D-MI)
42. Bob Menendez (D-NJ)
43. Anna Eschoo (D-CA)
44. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA)
45. Adam Smith (D-WA)
46. Dan Burton (R-IN)
47. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
48. Joe Wilson (R-SC)
49. Jim Ramstad (R-MN)
50. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI)
PROTECT RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
IN FRANCE
February 4, 2004
Dear Colleague:
On February 10, 2004, the French Parliament will vote on
legislation to restrict religious dress and articles of
faith in that nation's public schools. The proposed law
threatens the religious rights of French children by forcing
them to choose between school and religious practices that
are central to their core values.
We are particularly concerned that this legislation appears
to represent a backlash against one minority: France's five
million Muslims. However, restricting religious garb and
symbols would impact individuals of all faiths. Christians,
Jews, Muslims, and Sikhs, for example, would all be forced
to consider alternative forms of education to remain consistent
with the dictates of their faith.
Please join us in sending a message to the French government
and Parliament that it should protect religious freedom
in its schools. To sign onto the attached letter, please
contact Maria Baron (Rep. Honda) or Cameron Wilson (Rep.
Ehlers). Deadline to sign is noon on Friday, February 6th.
Sincerely,
MICHAEL M. HONDA
Member of Congress
VERNON EHLERS
Member of Congress
TEXT OF LETTER TO FRENCH
GOVERNMENT
The Honorable Ambassador Jean-David Levitte,
French Embassy to the United States
4101 Reservoir Road, NW
Washington, DC 20007
Dear Ambassador Jean-David Levitte:
As Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, we are
writing to express our concern about legislation pending
before the French Parliament that would ban religious dress
and articles of faith in the country's schools. We respectfully
ask that you convey our concerns to your government in advance
of this momentous vote.
France has a proud modern tradition of isolating state
institutions from religious influences in order to maintain
a stable and secure government and to protect the rights
of its people. However, the proposed law threatens the religious
rights of French children by forcing them to choose between
school and religious practices that are central to their
core values.
We are particularly concerned that this legislation appears
to represent a backlash against one French minority: Muslims.
Despite claims to the contrary, this legislation would disproportionately
affect Muslims, especially Muslim women who often wear headscarves,
known in Arabic as hijabs. However, restricting religious
garb would impact individuals of all faiths. Many Sikhs,
for example, wear turbans as an _expression of their faith
and religious identity. Compelling them to remove their
turbans in school is contrary to the dictates of their faith.
In essence, this law would force Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, and
members of other faiths to pursue alternative forms of education,
slowing their integration into French society.
France has been commended for its willingness to sign international
treaties that protect human rights and religious freedom.
As the French Parliament debates this issue over the next
week, we urge this legislative body to remain mindful of
the spirit in which these treaties were written and agreed
to.
In the event that this bill passes, we would respectfully
urge your government to present this bill to the Constitutional
Council for consideration. We understand that not all bills
are subject to consideration by this council, but given
the substance and magnitude of this legislation, we feel
it is an appropriate and necessary step. We trust that the
French government will do its best to protect the interests
of its citizens and will provide the necessary tools to
ensure that the religious norms each individual citizen
wishes to exercise are honored.
Sincerely,
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