Reddit mentions of Why the French Don't Like Headscarves: Islam, the State, and Public Space

I'm agnostic and from the West - but why do we completely dismiss the possibility that perhaps (some of) these women wear hijabs/burkhas et al by choice? And not because of coercion from outside, misogynistic sources? What if they feel that it's a way of expressing themselves and participating/holding onto their culture?

Edit: If you have the time/the money/the desire, you may want to consider reading this book.

It was in the curriculum for one of my upper level history courses called "Church and State."

In France, the notion of citizen / citizenship, secularism ("laïcité"), and the "Public" have specific, important components that are often poorly understood by non-French. It is something worth reading about.