“The great irony of this whole affair is that the deeply felt sentiment in France against public displays of religious affiliation originated in the anti-clerical campaign waged in the 19th and early 20th century against the Catholic Church.

“The church was seen as the enemy of republican secular values and a defender of the aristocratic, monarchical, anti-democratic tradition. Now it is the Muslim religion that bears the brunt of this historical obsession with (no pun intended) keeping religion under wraps.”

Contact William Keylor, 617-358-0197, wrkeylor@bu.edu