Can someone wear his headscarf if someone attends a religious ceremony in a personal capacity? The question is controversial. On 15 August, the first deputy mayor of Toulouse, Jean-Michel Lattes and the local councilor, Jean-Baptiste de Scorraille, went to Lourdes for the "Prayer for FranceIn this religious service both wear their chosen scarf. They use the opportunity to share in photos on social networks this day.
Except that part of the opposition against the mayor of Toulouse notices the images and is outraged. "What shocked me was the fact that they wear a tricolor scarf," explains Régis Godec Councilor of Europe Ecology Greens. They represent the local community. And there, _we depart from the principle of republican neutrality._"
We criticize the elected officials a political controversy. Jean-Baptiste de Scorraille does not understand why this story is so talkative. According to him, all elected officials do the same. "When I go to Mass, I draw the cross. The national authorities that represent the state also do this. We must therefore stop these discussions that are sterile. I have been chosen in my beliefs. I went there with my scarf when he was asked. There is no controversy to have."
Yet the attitude of two elected representatives is good against the 1905 law according to the law professor at the Political Institute of Toulouse, Jean-Michel Ducomte. "The scarf is destined to identify, argues.If a religion organizes an event, it is indisputable that a representative of the republic has to deal with his presence by claiming his status as the representative of the republic."
"The attacks on secularism are no longer related to the Catholic religion"
The controversy could have stopped there. But three days after "the Prayer for France", the mayor of Toulouse, Jean-Luc Moudenc, start the debate again. After he had given his support to the two elected officials on social networks, he implied it on Twitter that all religions should not be placed in the same area.
An implicit formulation that requires clarification by Jean-Michel Ducomte. "What Jean-Luc Moudenc suggests is that _the Muslim religion would have rights that would no longer be the rights of the Catholic religion_. The counterpart of the neutrality of the Republic is religious freedom. There can not be any claim on the part of the republic that would claim that one religion would have more rights or more legitimacy than another. & # 39;
Seizure of the board of laïcité
Opposition City Councilor Régis Godec asked to come back to this in the following Council of secularism from the city hall of Toulouse. This whole of debate that was created in 2013 may well be that make new recommendations in the direction of elected officials for a better respect for secularism and thus perhaps close this controversy. But their next meeting is only scheduled on 26 September.
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