However the debate surrounding this issue goes much deeper than a perceived threat to the secular nature of France from Muslim women in hijab, or indeed an unease over the growing number of Muslims within the country displaying their ideologically affiliation. Fundamentally the crux of the matter revolves around the status and future course of Muslims living within Europe: will the Muslims fully integrate into Western society, adopting their political and cultural norms; will they live in isolation in ghettos, or will they try and challenge the precepts of the societies in which they now find themselves living in? Policymakers currently fear Muslims across Europe becoming ‘radicalised’, particularly by international events and the current wars taking place in Palestine and Iraq. 
 

As part of a broader attempt to seize the political initiative and address such matters head on, the French government has been seeking to establish its own standardised version of Islam. According to the French Interior Minister, Muslims living in France must conform to the principles of the secular constitution and practice Islam within the framework of the France’s current socio-political climate, particularly its staunch secularism that is enshrined constitutionally. Hence the issue of headscarves can be seen in a broader perspective: Muslims would have to willingly conform to laws such as the ban on headscarves in state schools. 
 

In addition to this, plans are currently underway to create a French Islamic body that will regulate all masjids within the country, as well as recruiting pliant newly trained Imam’s to pass fatwa upon issues concerning ‘French Muslims’, within the aforementioned framework, akin to the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs. A number of prominent ‘Islamic’ institutions in France have argued that such measures are welcome development, especially due to the perceived growth in ‘radical Islam’ during the 1990s, as well as the after effects of 11 September. The rector of France’s largest masjid in Paris has argued in October that Muslims living in France must accept the fundamental principles upon which the French republic is built, notably secularism and democracy. If Muslims wish to discuss or partake in political activities, then they are at liberty to do so providing that they choose from amongst the current French political parties, and have no reference to any form of ‘political Islam.’ 
 

As part of a pan-European effort to create versions of Islam compatible with European society, a number of European governments, not just in France, have moved towards the idea of establishing official state control of Islam, masjids, and Islamic education, either directly or through government approved proxies. Unlike the confrontational approach that France has historically taken to other creeds it encountered since its colonial heyday, the British have taken a more hands off approach. For example when Tony Blair’s New Labour entered office in 1997 they set about establishing a group from amongst the Muslims - the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), to assess the current political trends amongst the Muslim populace. A darker side to this policy was for this group to act as the official mouthpiece and go between of New Labour with the wider Muslim community in Britain. 
 

One may argue that the current battle against Islam, disguised internationally as the war on terrorism and radicalism, has a longer reach than thought, with European governments now working to introduce an alternative ‘moderate’ versions of Islam that agree with the present socio-political climate operating within their respective national boundaries. The banning of ‘religious symbols’ in French state schools does not begin or end with Muslim women wishing to wear headscarves. European governments, to varying degrees, are seeking to integrate Muslim communities into the wider mainstream on a more comprehensive level than they have pursued previously. 
 

This current climate creates opportunities and dangers. With President Chirac’s public stance on the issue of headscarves, the Muslim community is not simply forced to address this issue, but required to take an active stance in opposition to this, and the wider process of assimilation in France and across Europe. This can be effectively done by deepening our own study of Islam, and rethinking new and imaginative ways in which to convey the Deen to European society at large. The comprehensive nature of Islam cannot be undermined through individuals entranced by the ideology and life-style that prevails in the West, nor can it be reinterpreted by such individuals to suite the whims of any liberal secular polity. A clear message of the incompatibility of Islam with the intellectual and political philosophy of liberal secularism needs to be articulated more clearly and succinctly. In tandem with this, Muslim communities across Europe must begin to re-evaluate their status and position in Western society. It is no longer acceptable to remain here as passive communities simply looking for economic improvement, cut off from the wider struggle that engages us.