Because it's actually part of their religion?  That's like telling a Jewish person he has to eat non kosher foods.

Seperation of church and state doesn't mean persecuting peoples religious beliefs.

You and I both know that the kind of immigrants they are afraid of are just that... muslims.

Comparing single Europeon countries and America as a whole is a ridiclious premise just due to the size difference... you can drive from one country to another in a short period of time.   Europeon literature as a whole is pretty insular as well.... because writers write what they know.

The real reason most nobel prize winners are Europeon is because the judges are all sweedish.

 Again, if muslims are not allowed to wear one in Islam countries like Turkey why do they demand it then from a not Islam country like France.  Christians are not allowed to wear Christian symbols, Jews are not allowed to wear their things...But if they want it their are always Catholic, Jews, Islam schools;

It started with demanding to wear a headscarf...Now they want that muslim holy days also count on schools and that their is no school on that day, that they only serve Halal food.  Sorry but France and other EU countries schould not adapt their rules/laws on what the muslim immigrants want, if they can't stand how the rules are their are always muslim schools for them.

And Swedisch are now biased aswell great...

The "Value" I was refering to the cultural value that people associate with art, not the price people sell art for.

Wait, you don't have a problem with that? A government institution forcing people to leave important articles of their faith at home is a good thing? The government has gone from forcing Catholicism to forcing a form of atheism... Some may argue that's a step in the right direction but I won't. Neither idea is worth a damn.

Hey, I despise organized religion like nobody's business... Absolutely hate it. But even I have to acknowledge that there's something fundamentally wrong with a government that forces people to leave their religious beliefs at home, even when some of those beliefs (headscarves, for example) are so important to people of that faith. It's a slap in the face of God to go outside without one. Personally, I think the idea that God cares if you wear a certain headdress or not is bullshit but we should all respect that person's beliefs and let them wear a fuckin' scarf if they think it gets them in good with God.

Am I the only one who sees the problem with this kind of thinking?

Then again, maybe I should shut up because it's obvious that Muslims are happy with how the French government is treating them... After all, it's been a few years since they rioted en masse.

I thought that was like... last year that happened or early this year?  Either way that's partly to do with stuff with that... and just the fact that EU employment laws are very anti-immigrant making it real hard for immigrants to get good jobs.

But yeah, i have a problem with it to... hence why i mention it... people should be able to wear whatever they want to wear more or less.  Banning signs of faith is just horrible.

As for the Sweedish being biased? Well duh. Everyone is biased when it comes to art. Afterall how does one develop their appreciation and views on art? By how they were raised and what they grew up on.

Someone who is Europeon is going to have more Europeon sensibilties. I mean... duh?

Any real pannel on something like literature and art needs to be a hell of a lot more diverse.

It's not anything like science or a car or something where there are plain numbers and info that can help with the process.

This is absoutely true in my opinion - except the last two words: Americans are not retarded (or not more than people from other countries) but it seems that many Americans isolate themselves from cultures outside their country - with the exception of some music, movies, books, TV shows from other English speaking countries and Japanese mangas (and video games of course).

Apart from tons of movies and music from USA/CAN/UK/IRL/AUS I read French, Belgian, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese comics (translated versions of course), I listen to music from (some) European countries, South America, Africa and Asia, I watch movies from all over the world.

I admit I don't read many books, but many of my friends and relatives read books from all over the world. Each new book from acclaimed US authors like Philip Roth are very successful in my country. Turkish author Orhan Pamuk is well known and quite successful over here. Scandinavian crime novels are huge bestsellers in many European countries; the (ironically US born) crime novel author Donna Leon lives in Venice and is one of the most successful authors all over Europe.

Another example: It always makes me sad when people discuss comics in forums and only mention US comics and mangas. These people completely missed the extraordinary output of two of the most important comic book countries of the 20th century: France and Belgium.

There's only one other country that seems to be as culturally isolated as USA: England.

The reason in my opinion: The world dominating language prevented to establish a tradition of translation (the bilingual country Canada seems more culturally open to me than USA or England). I might be completely wrong, but this is my impression.

By the way: Don't take this as a complaint about US or English culture. When it comes to music, English speaking countries will always and ever be the dominant ones for me personally. This week I was listening to Rickie Lee Jones, Joni Mitchell, Scott Walker, Todd Rundgren, Steely Dan, Spearmint, Placebo, Orange Juice, The Blue Nile, Kate Bush, k.d. lang, Joy Division, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Cure...well, it's autumn...I think I have to switch to some good old US soul music before I get depressed.

Nah, now you are overreacting it.  It is only at school, if they really want to wear it they can go to a Muslim school their are plenty of them.  If you want that your son is a Christian and would go to the church with school every week then you would send him to a Christian school don't ya?

I don't give a shit who wrote it, or when it was written but "I, Lucifer" deserves the fucking prize.

You are comparing a church(where you can go anytime) to an article of clothing that some branches of muslims as something that must be worn outside at all times or it's a sin?

Not remotely similar.

That kind of law is basically the equivlent of the Jim Crow laws.