Legislating religious expression and garb in the public arena is almost always grounded in bigotry — the fear of the conspicuous other. It’s never really the hijab, sheitel, kippah or tallit that’s at stake.
France notoriously did it by passing a ban on face covering in 2010.
It’s about about accepting and embracing visible differences rather than coercing and insisting on homogeneity. It’s about pushing back against the assumption that we should all look or act or believe the same, so as not to make those who think or act or look differently uncomfortable.
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