So that the list of names of teachers who fell under the attacks of religious terrorists does not grow, each year, a tribute was paid on October 14 to Samuel Paty and Dominique Bernard. The first, a history and geography teacher in a college in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, was beheaded on October 16, 2020, for showing caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad to his students. The second, an associate professor of modern literature in Arras, was mortally wounded by a radical Islamist who initially wanted to attack a history professor.
The tribute to the two men is also an opportunity to recall the importance of secularism at school, and of tolerance between believers, which is no small matter.
Secularism is sometimes undermined, since a week ago, a teacher from Tourcoing was slapped by an 18-year-old student whom she asked not to put her veil back on before having passed through the gates of the establishment. The latter is due to be judged on December 11.
It is therefore a question of both scrupulously ensuring that the concept of secularism is respected in every breach, and of having it assimilated, which has not yet been achieved. For this, teachers must be supported. Indeed, if the number of incidents relating to breaches of secularism has decreased in France from 838 incidents in September 2023 to 110 in September 2024, according to the Minister of National Education, Anne Genetet, this is an observation to relativize.
Self-censorship of teachers
First of all, these failings are an immediate echo of legislative developments in this area. However, at the start of the 2023 school year, the attacks on secularism corresponded to the firm ban on the wearing of the abaya and qamis by Gabriel Attal. Then, habits are formed.
Then, more teachers self-censor, according to Iannis Roder, professor of history and geography in a college in Seine-Saint-Denis, whose comments are reported by Public Senate: “We have self-censorship on the part of teachers. teachers on religious issues which is increasingly important due to a series of events”, notably “death threats”.
In March this year, the principal of the Maurice-Ravel high school in Paris resigned, after reminding three young girls of their obligation to remove their veils within the high school walls. Since then, he has been the subject of death threats online. A middle school art teacher told us that she systematically skipped the course on the representation of nudes, “so as not to shock those who culturally cannot support it”.
The question therefore remains how far to go, knowing that behind the students, families watch over and monitor the content of the lessons. We must therefore gently lead students towards the concepts of secularism which they begin by understanding and assimilating, so as not to put teachers in danger afterwards.
“They didn’t have to die for that”
This is the message that Jacques Mikulovic conveyed during the tribute to Samuel Paty and Dominique Bernard this Thursday, October 10 at the Tsingoni college: “We are in an educational establishment, it is an opportunity to remember that the teachers, national education, are there to support students to give them the tools to think for themselves.”
This involves mastering reading and writing, “it helps to structure one’s thoughts and allows one to access that of others to form an opinion. »
Going further than simple secularism, the representative of National Education also mentioned the deadly impact of religious wars: “Living together requires rules, secularism is one of them. In France, religious conflicts have caused thousands of deaths in the past, particularly between Catholics and Protestants. This notion of secularism was there to respect everyone in their convictions and beliefs. The relationship with a god is intimate and does not have to be shown to others, nor imposed on others. » We could add that killing in the name of a god amounts to acting against sacred teachings.
Jacques Mikulovic looked back on the French Revolution of 1789 which sounded the death knell of the monarchy, “where the king had divine power”, for the benefit of “the men and women who had to organize themselves to create society, to organize the transport, school, water distribution. »
It is therefore “freedom of conscience” that Samuel Paty and Dominique Bernard taught, “they did not have to die for it because they helped train students so that they become responsible citizens”.
Several students spoke about prejudices and the acceptance of differences, followed by a minute of silence, and before everyone sang, “We write on the walls the names of those we love, messages for the days future. We write on the walls with the ink of our veins. We draw everything we want to say. We write on the walls the strength of our dreams, our hopes in the form of graffiti. We write on the walls so that love arises. A beautiful day on the sleeping world. »
May the days to come subscribe to this collective appeal.
Anne Perzo-Lafond
