Some governments around the globe have banned religious items, for example, France has banned full-face veils and even considered about banning full-body-swimsuits (burkinis) back in 2011. There isn’t a true implication behind these banning, but I do think that there may be a few purposes for doing so. If the banning of religious clothing, praying or just casual conversations about religion is permitted in schools and educational systems, then that may seem a bit excessive. However, if we’re talking about religion banning in the content of schools’ teaching, then the answer may be a yes. I personally think that school contents should not go into too much detail on religion, since it is a very debatable topic and could cause some serious diversion between people (in the worst case scenarios). It is perfectly fine though, to discuss the history and some basic information about religions for students to know about them. Schools have responsibilities to teach students to judge things from a neutral perspective. Religion and beliefs are very personal things, which should be respected. However, should we also view from another perspective, which people have different opinions and views, and that an excessive presentation of one’s belief may sometimes be a bit bothering to people. Sometimes it is good to put our personal beliefs aside and talk about our common beliefs and accept each other. The best example from my personal experiences is the acceptance of LGBTQ communities in my home country Taiwan. Taiwan was just recently placed as the 8th most homosexual-friendly country in 2020. This is because of the people’s mutual respect on sexual orientation. However, there are circumstances when people from the LGBTQ communities are overly-aggressive towards heterosexuals (e.g. Intentionally creating hate between people with different sexual orientations and categorizing people) and this is when a standard is needed in the society to make sure everyone is comfortable.

If I ask a heterosexual person, would you be comfortable with two males kissing in front of you, what would he or she say? In most of the case the answer is probably no, but we have to understand that people have their freedom to do so; most of the time, we should respect people’s decision as long as it does not harm the others. On the other hand, from the homosexual people’s perspective, if people are fine with the LGBTQ community, there is no point in trying to argue about the differences between heterosexuals and homosexuals. Linking back to religion, there is no point for religious people to confront non-religious people, or vice versa. And when I say this, I meant a religious person who continuously wants others to appreciate his or her religion. Even though the idea of banning religion sounds absurd, as it seems more hostile than meaningful, it does make sense in a few contexts.

But even so, is religion banning really what we think it is? Officials such as the French government has banned many types of Islamic clothing for various reasons, from the fear of terrorism, terrorist incidents, and to social stigmas. It is hard for us to say whether banning religious clothing is immoral or not, as it depends on the setting of the society. If the society has implications of national security concerns, such as a few European nations back in 2011 which were constantly under terrorist attacks, it may just be reasonable for government officials to temporarily ban clothing that completely covers a person. The only reason why I think in this way is because it regards the safety of people. If the government or law enforcement are unable to identify people, it is merely impossible for authorities to protect the people. However, if there are no proper implications behind a policy that bans religious clothing and symbols, then yes it should be considered as an act of racism and discrimination. The most debated topic on religion banning is actually not in Europe but in China. I will not discuss about this as it is extremely complicated and controversial, but if you are interested I recommend taking a peek at it. In conclusion, banning religious clothing and symbols have values in certain contexts concerning safety and moral reasons, but for most of the time it would be removing basic rights and freedom from people which should not be permitted.

Article on banning of religious clothing in France:

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2019/07/quebec-bans-religious-symbols/593998/