NEW SECULARISM LAW IN FRANCE RAISES CONCERNS ABOUT RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
by Christl Dabu
In the train station stop of Juziers, a small riverside suburb one-hour’s ride from Paris, some writing was scrawled on a wall behind the platform. It read: Islam SIDA. SIDA is the French word for AIDS. As a Catholic Canadian visiting Paris this summer, I witnessed some negative, xenophobic sentiments against Muslims and Arabs. Some Parisians warned me to “Watch out for those Arabs” who may swipe my wallet. I even met a Christian Parisian couple who was alarmed to find out their son was dating an Arab woman....