religieuses".
In my view, this controversy is emblematic of the deepening division between traditional French "values" and the demographic and economic consequences of today's global trends. As in many countries, France is struggling with the difficulties of maintaining democratic values of freedom and equality under the guise of "protecting its national security." Personally, I agree with the UN and France's high court that taking away anyone's individual and civil liberties is too high a price to pay for asserting a country's national identity.