French bishops, during their meeting

PARIS, November 11 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – France's Catholic Church Tuesday, November 11, voiced its opposition to a new draft law banning hijab in state-run schools and restricting the role of religion, saying it put the country's neutrality at risk, French media reports said.

Catholic archbishops, who huddled together in the southwestern French city of Lourdes to tackle the Church's relations with the state and society, went for opening a dialogue on all pending issues, such as hijab instead of enacting a new law.

A clear majority of Reverend priests said the dialogue would bolster the country's three principles: freedom, equality and brotherhood.

They said that French authorities should model themselves after the Council of State's rule of 1989, which stated that religious signs by no means posed a threat to secularism, unless they were of an ostentatious character.

Father Jean Pierre Richard, who heads the Episcopal conference, said in the final communiqué that the country's secularism should take into consideration the different religious communities living in France.

He warned of a backlash against secularism should the state neglect the role of religion.

He further said that France's civil liberties would suffer a relapse if the hijab-designed law was enacted.

Islam Not To Blame

Father Jean Pierre Richard heads the Episcopal conference

Archbishop Albert Royee, member of France's Permanent Episcopal Committee, refused to blame Islam for the latest furor.

He said that Islam should not be used as a pretext to pass such a law despite the fact that Islam is the center of attention nowadays in France when it comes to secularism.

"Let's be frank, Islam is not the one and only reason for the running controversy," he said, adding that the Catholic Church has its own controversial issues as well.

The archbishops see eye to eye on the fact that adopting such a law would spell the death of France's unique policy of dialogue with the other.

The issue of hijab has recently sparked much controversy in France, especially after the establishment of the first Muslim representative body in the country.

French Social Affairs Minister Francois Fillon has voiced support for a bill forbidding "wearing of any religious sings in schools."

Premier Jean-Pierre Raffarin did not rule out passing a law to ban Muslim girls from wearing hijab to allow secularism restore its strength in the European country.

President Chirac further set up the secularity commission in July to rule on whether new legislation was needed to handle a growing debate over religion in schools, particularly Muslim schoolgirls wearing hijab.

It is expected to submit its report to Chirac by the end of this year after questioning a number of ministers and representatives of French non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and various syndicates.