logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2020
23m 27s

Dominique Schnapper on secularism in Fra...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

The beheading of a teacher by an 18-year-old outside Paris struck a particularly jarring blow to the French psyche. Samuel Paty was murdered for teaching his students, including young Muslims, about freedom of speech, including the freedom to mock religion. His killing was seen by some as an attack on France’s secular values. Stephen Sackur speaks to Dominique Schnapper, president of a council which advises the government on secularism in education. Is France's government getting its response to this tragedy right?

Up next
Yesterday
Chloé Zhao, director: I was an outsider
‘It's so far from your reality because I didn't know anybody and I was an immigrant’Anita Rani speaks to the Beijing-born director Chloé Zhao about her career and her latest film, Hamnet.Zhao made history in 2021 when, at the age of just 39, she became the first woman of colour - ... Show More
22m 59s
Jan 21
Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General: Tthe threat to international law from power
“There are those that believe the power of law should be replaced by the law of power”Anna Foster speaks to Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, about the threat to international law from states acting through power and influence instead, in particular Ameri ... Show More
23 m
Jan 19
Karol Nawrocki, Polish President: Europe has lost its way
Nick Robinson speaks to Polish President Karol Nawrocki about Trump, Russia and the future of Europe.A historian and a boxer by background, he was elected in June 2025 with the support of Poland’s conservative opposition Law and Justice Party.A social conservative and devout Cath ... Show More
23m 1s
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2020
Is Macron marginalising France's Muslims?
French President Emmanuel Macron has described Islam as 'a religion in crisis.' This week he presented draft legislation to cabinet ministers aimed at tackling radical elements and propping up ‘republican values’. Among the proposed measures are curbs on foreign funding for mosqu ... Show More
49m 56s
Jan 2016
France
From the Charlie Hebdo shootings a year ago to the November terrorist atrocities in Paris, a string of Islamist attacks has left French society reeling in the face of home-grown terror. The events raise many issues, including the nature of religious and cultural integration in Fr ... Show More
27m 46s
Jul 2023
Understanding the unrest in France
French cities have been engulfed by almost a week of intense riots, following the death of a teenager. Nahel M was shot at point blank range by police after he refused to stop for a traffic check in his hometown of Nanterre, a north-west Parisian suburb. The unrest led to more th ... Show More
49m 29s
Dec 2020
France's Muslim headscarf ban
A controversial law banning Islamic headscarves and other religious symbols from French state schools came into effect in 2004. The ban was designed to maintain France's tradition of strictly separating state and religion. It resulted in many Muslim girls being excluded from the ... Show More
11m 12s
Jul 2023
France Riots
The death of 17-year-old French-Algerian Nahel Merzouk, killed by a police officer on 27 June in Nanterre, France sparked urban riots across France. Things seem to be calming down, however tension definitely persists. In ths episode we look at the factors behind these riots and h ... Show More
22m 55s
Apr 2021
72/ The Inherent Toxicity of France’s ‘Islamo-Leftism’ Obsession (with Rim-Sarah Alouane)
<p>This is a conversation with <a href="https://twitter.com/RimSarah">Rim-Sarah Alouane</a>. She’s a French legal academic, commentator, and PhD candidate in law researching religious &nbsp;freedom, human rights, and civil liberties in France, Europe &amp; North America.</p> <p>W ... Show More
1h 52m
Jul 2023
France on Fire: The Killing of Nahel Marzouk & Long Shadow of Colonialism
tail spinning
32m 29s
Jan 2015
France after the Islamist attacks
France has been through a traumatic week following several terrorist attacks and demonstrations by millions in response to the killings. Gideon Rachman is joined by Hugh Carnegy and Michael Stothard to discuss the impact of these events and whether France can ward off the forces ... Show More
10m 43s