“In short, when it comes to religion I would call myself a liberal secularist. Yet when I hear most liberals talking about secularism, I want to seek sanctuary in the nearest church, synagogue or mosque. As the French parliament prepares to debate the bill banning the hijab, yarmulke and turban in schools, it is time for Europe’s secularism to catch up and secularists to calm down.”

Gary Younge writing in the Guardian, 26 January 2004