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2007 Diversity Essay Competition
Topic
The purpose of this year's essay competition is to examine the role of freedom of religion in the context of contemporary society. As in previous years, we hope that the topic will stimulate a healthy conversation among young people.
We invite young people to share their views on the following topic:
Freedom of Conscience in Contemporary Society
On February 10, 2004, the French Parliament voted 494 to 36 to approve a legislative bill which bans all conspicuous “religious” articles of faith from public schools. The bill passed France's national legislature and was signed into law by President Jacques Chirac on March 15, 2004. The law disproportionately affects those for whom the wearing of “religious” articles is considered an obligation, not a choice—an obligation that cannot change, whether the practitioners are in public or private spheres.
In an essay of 1,000 words, please discuss the implications of the French ban for the minority communities of France who have been impacted by it. In your essay, please take only one of the two positions below:
- If you favor the ban: While engaging with issues faced by communities impacted by the ban, please discuss how France’s conception of secularism (laïcité) can be used to shed light on the ban.
- If you oppose the ban: What makes you oppose it? Please outline a strategy through which the international community may be mobilized to force France to repeal the ban.
Awards
All entries will be eligible for the following awards:
- First Place: $1,000.00
- Second Place: $500.00
- Third Place: $250.00
The winners will be notified on May 3, 2008
Submission Deadline
All entries must be postmarked no later than February 1, 2008.
Mailing Address
All completed entries (application form & essay) must be sent to:
The Sikh Coalition - Essay Competition
P.O. Box 7337
Olympia, WA 98507-7337
United States
Eligibility
- You should have been between 14 to 19 years old on December 31, 2006 to qualify for the competition
- All entries will be considered without regard to race, sex, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, religious affiliation, or disability
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Parents and Educators: How can you help ?
The issues of diversity and faith are integral to the development of a strong society. We request parents and educators to help us by:
Reaching out to students in their communities and letting them know about this competition. Please use the documents provided below for your local schools and communities.
You will need Adobe PDF Reader which is available from www.adobe.com to open the files.
Encourage the young members of your community to send in their entries. |
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Submission Rules
- All entries must contain:
- All Essays must be written in English and must be typed. Handwritten essays will unfortunately not be considered.
- It is recommended that you use a font such as Times New Roman, Arial, Helvetica, or Century Gothic, with 11 or 12 pt. font size, but ultimately this is your choice. Whichever font and font size you choose; you must use it consistently throughout your document, including headings and page numbers.
- All citations must be properly listed in a bibliography section.
- Attention to grammar, punctuation, spelling and style is expected.
- Please use the MLA guidelines for examples on how to present the citations.
- Please type your full name on the top of the first page of your essay.
- All entries become the property of the Sikh Coalition and we reserve the right to publish them in their entirety or in part electronically or through the print medium.
- No faxed or emailed entries will be accepted.
- All essays will be judged by a panel of distinguished judges. Their decision will be final and will not be subject to appeal.
- If you need more information, please send an email to essay@sikhcoalition.org. Please do not send your essay entries as attachments. We will not acknowledge any entries received by email to this email address
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