Tension between Secular Culture and Islamic Culture: An Application of Hijab in France

Abstract

Thierry Migoul, head of municipal services for Cannes, said: "We are not talking about banning the wearing of religious symbols on the beach, but ostentatious clothing which refers to an allegiance to terrorist movements which are at war with us." Around 30 French coastal towns had issued bans for Muslims’ swimming clothes (“burkini”); which is one of the manifestations of Muslim cultures. Nevertheless, France's highest court ruled against them on 26th August, 2016, meaning that burkini bans are now illegal. These cultural differences between Muslims and French have been subjected to many debatable discussions. This paper tries to shed a light on such a conflict that may arise between both cultures. Topics in this article include the meaning of culture; the perspective of the French culture; the perspective of the Muslim culture; the consequences of the interaction between both cultures; and the insights drawn from the analytical views presented herein.

Keywords: French culture, Muslims, ban, Hijab, conflict, dispute, society, Islamic culture, cultures, diversity.