Nicholas Sarkozy, the President of France is suggesting a law that would ban all face covering veils in public places, a law that would even apply to visitors. As such wealthy Saudi women shopping on the Champs Elysee would have to have bare faces. There has been much criticism from Muslim groups, but not enough to keep the law from being considered.
Next door in Germany the northern state of Lower Saxony the Christian Democrat party appointed the daughter of Turkish immigrants as minister of social affairs, a first. Aygul Ozkan is a lawyer and a Muslim. In a recent interview she is quoted as saying that crucifixes do not belong in state-run schools anymore than Muslim headscarves. The comment caused an uproar, so much so Ms Ozkan had to disavow it. Crucifixes, critics said, are part of the Christian Democrat party tradition.
Is that the way it is: When the uproar comes from a minority faction within the culture it is easily explained away or overlooked, but when it comes from the majority then it prevails?
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