French scarf ban comes into force
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A ban on religious symbols in French state schools starts on Thursday, despite Iraqi hostage takers' demands.
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France said it will maintain its law banning Muslim scarves and other signs of religious belief in state schools, rejecting a demand by the Iraqi kidnappers of two French reporters for its revocation.
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France will maintain its ban on Muslim scarves and other signs of religious belief in state schools, ignoring demands by the Iraqi kidnappers of two French reporters, government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope said.
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By JAMEY KEATEN  PARIS - A new law in France makes it a crime for anyone who is not a professional journalist to film real-world violence and distribute the images on the Internet.
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PARIS - Millions of French students returned to school Thursday as a new law that bans Islamic head scarves from classrooms went into effect amid demands by Islamic radicals holding two French hostages in Iraq that the law be scrapped.    Muslim leaders in France, who had largely opposed the law, urged calm for the return to class...
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PARIS - France vowed Monday to press ahead with a controversial law banning Islamic head scarves in schools, despite demands by militants holding two French journalists hostage in Iraq that Paris revoke the legislation.    Government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope told Canal Plus television France would not compromise its values to win the release of the journalists, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot...
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A German court  rules a ban on Muslim  teachers wearing headscarves in schools applies to Christian nuns, reports say.
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Thousands of people, many of them women wearing head scarves, marched in France Saturday to protest a law banning the Islamic coverings and other religious apparel in public schools.
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Only about 100 French Muslim girls are breaking the new ban on headscarves at school, the education minister says.
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PARIS -- French critics and defenders of a ban on Muslim headscarves in schools united in support of the law yesterday, pledging to stand firm against militants holding two French journalists hostage in Iraq who want the law revoked.
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French critics and defenders of a ban on  Muslim headscarves in schools united in support of the law on  Monday, pledging to stand firm against militants holding two  French journalists hostage in Iraq who want the law scrapped.
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Two female students in France have become the first to be expelled under a new law banning overt religious symbols in public schools.
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PARIS, Aug 30  - The French government said on Monday it planned to go ahead with the introduction this week of a ban on Islamic headscarves and other religious insignia in schools, despite an ultimatum from extremists holding two French journalists
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PARIS - Millions of French students returned to school Thursday as a new law banning Islamic head scarves from classrooms goes into effect amid demands by Islamic radicals holding two French hostages in Iraq that the law be scrapped.    Muslim leaders in France, who had largely opposed the law, urged calm for the return to class...
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A French law banning Islamic headscarves in schools came into force today as France intensified its diplomatic efforts to free two hostages held in Iraq by militants demanding the withdrawal of the new legislation.
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The French government has confirmed that the ban on Muslim headscarves will be applied on Thursday when school resumes, despite the kidnapping of two journalists in Iraq.
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Two Muslim girls who refused to remove their head scarves in class have been expelled from their schools, and two more risked the same fate Wednesday as officials began taking action against those who defy a new French law banning conspicuous religious symbols from public schools.