France's history of republicanism and anti-clericalism goes back to the revolution of 1789. The secular republic fiercely protects the rigid separation of the state from organised religion, established in 1905.

In 2004, after a heated national debate, a law reasserted France's cherished religious neutrality in public schools, banning the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols in state schools – including Muslim headscarves, Jewish caps and Sikh turbans.

French civil servants and public sector staff cannot wear religious symbols while working in state offices.

But there is no law preventing headscarves or religious symbols being worn by members of the public in public spaces.

The current debate over whether to ban full Islamic veils from being worn in public places intensified after Barack Obama's recent Middle East speech hit a raw nerve in France. He said it was "important for western countries to avoid impeding Muslim citizens from practising religion as they see fit – for instance, by dictating what clothes a Muslim woman should wear". This was seen by some politicians as a jibe at France.