France’s ‘beautiful notion’ of secularism is not a model for Quebec – The Globe and Mail

Jack Jedwab of the Association of Canadian Studies on the empirical evidence on France’s secular model. Confirms other analysis, news reports, and general knowledge:

Unfortunately for Ms. Marois and Mr. Moscovici, the evidence on the French model points to a very different conclusion. Surveys conducted in June, 2012, by Eurobarometer (the polling arm of the European Commission) put France on top of the list amongst the 27 countries of the European Union as regards the extent to which its own population feel there is discrimination in society based on religion or beliefs. Two in three French citizens surveyed see such discrimination as widespread compared with half of the U.K. population. As regards discrimination outside the workplace on the basis of religion or beliefs France (55 per cent) records the highest percentage in the EU of people feeling it is widespread. France doesn’t do much better around the perception of ethnic discrimination outside the workplace with yet another EU record 76 per cent seeing it as widespread.

France’s ‘beautiful notion’ of secularism is not a model for Quebec – The Globe and Mail.