I admire the French for their honesty in dealing with their orthodox muslim population.  They haven't avoided the situation nor abrogated majority responsibility to a minority viewpoint.  Several years ago they banned religious garments from public schools, and recently they denied a muslim woman French citizenship because she had not assimilated herself appropriately into French society.  The woman insists on wearing a niqab, layers of clothing covering her completely from head to foot with a narrow slit for her eyes.  The basis for the legal decision was that the niqab was representative of suppression and narrowness of thought. While there is a delicate balancing act between freedom of religion and the government's restraint on interfering with that constitutional right, the French attack the problem head-on.

More than likely, we in the U.S. would come down on the side of, "Let her do her own thing."  If one analyzes that late '60s philosophy, it becomes the single most destructive element in evading civic responsibility, a cornerstone of our country's strength. 

We continually allow minority groups to express their beliefs and practices and to ignore the majority.  There once was the philosophy of a melting plot, the assimilation of small groups into the greater whole.  Now that has changed into a tossed salad, where each entity retains its full identity at the expense of the whole.  There is no assimilation.

While I still order Freedom Fries because of my dislike of the Gallic view of the United States, I reiterate my admiration for their dealing with situations that we continue to avoid.