Neither France Nor Iran: Religious Freedom in America

The Washington Post announced Tuesday that Steven Goldberg, professor at Georgetown University's School of Law, passed away. Goldberg was the author of many highly regarded opinions on the first amendment.

The Post's obituary mentioned that Goldbergb had authored a book entitled, "Bleached Faith: The Tragic Cost When Religion is Forced into the Public Square." A title that I missed when the book was published in 2008.

I just got a copy of the book and the title of the penultimate chapter caught my eye as I perused the table of contents: "Neither France nor Iran: Religious Freedom in America." Here's a paragraph from that chapter that underscores the uniqueness of the form of religious liberty that we enjoy in America:

A simple examples demonstrates how differently religious exercise is treated in the United States than elsewhere. Consider a young Muslim woman who is attending public school. Can she choose whether to wear the head scarf that some Muslims believe their religion requires? In Iran she has no choice. She must wear the head scarf; indeed, women must be dressed according to conservative Islamic teachings whenever they appear in public. She also has no choice in France. Pursuant to a 2004 law, public school students cannot wear any apparel that conspicuously shows their religious affiliation. Jewish students cannot wear skullcaps, Christian students cannot wear large crosses, and Muslim students cannot wear head scarves. The law was clearly aimed at the growing number of Muslim women who had begun wearing head scarves to school. In the United States, the student has a choice. The government cannot make her wear a head scarf or forbid it. In reality, many students in American public schools choose to wear visible religious apparel, and many other do not. This result, strongly favored by liberals, moderates, and conservatives across the country, symbolizes the role of religion and religious freedom in the United States today.