June 28, 2003

The Last Resisters

It's not easy being France's full-time Headscarf Mediator. Herewith the tale of a 16-year-old Muslim schoolgirl who refused to remove her head covering during school hours, the Headscarf Mediator's efforts to broker a deal, a three week stand-off, and the 200 teachers who staged a walkout and strike to protest the school-board governor's decision not to expel her for "just a bandanna."

"A scrap of cloth doesn't threaten the foundations of the republic," he said.

Jean-Claude Santana, the teacher who led the anti-scarf protest, sees his role in the headwear wars in slightly grander terms: "the Republic is changing," he says, "and we are the last resisters."

(via Sound and Fury.)

Posted by Dr. Frank at June 28, 2003 04:37 PM | TrackBack
Comments

Jean Claude Santana? Now is this the "non-union Mexican equilvalent" of Jean Claude van Damm or the Montequieuian Third Republic non-union equivalent of Carlos Santana?

Posted by: jody at June 28, 2003 06:13 PM

To paraphrase M Python, I bet she's glad she never mentioned the jellabah.

Posted by: Dave F at July 1, 2003 10:33 AM