Laïcité provokes a lot of incomprehension outside of the country, which isn’t surprising given the current financial globalization trend that privileges individual rights over collective fraternity. Yet, in France, the political community takes precedence over subjective communities, as it is the only body able to guarantee both freedom and equality. And a community transcending particular interests cannot exist without universalism, the founding principle of laïcité.
institutmontaigne.org
A tragedy for a teacher leads to a teaching moment for the rest of us. We would do well to internalize what we call secularism but the French understand is much, much more than that.
