.EVERY FEW years the French receive developed regarding a thing of theological apparel that they view as improper in the classroom. This time a debate has broken out at la rentru00e9e, the begin of the brand new academic year, over a federal government decision to ban from condition institutions the abaya, an unabridged robe worn through some Muslim women for modesty. To folks in countries with a heritage of liberal multiculturalism, the restriction resembles an inappropriate violation of the right to religious expression. To defenders of a stringent version of French secularism, it is actually a step necessary to secure the state from spiritual obstruction. Why is France therefore stressed about Muslim dress in its own schools?