By: Jaelyn Morgan Haile
This summer, I have been interning that the European Center for Law and Justice (ECLJ), a non-governmental organization dedicated to the promotion and protection of human rights in Europe and abroad. The ECLJ works with international human rights bodies, such as the U.N. and the Council of Europe, as well as the European Parliament to promote human rights issues based on legal areas such as religious liberty, freedom of conscience, and parental rights. I have had an excellent experience with the organization and am very thankful for the people that I have met!
Throughout this internship, I have learned that Strasbourg is located in the Alsace region, the most Christian (in fact, the most Protestant) region in all of France. Strasbourg has a unique history and was influenced by Reformers like Martin Bucer, Martin Luther, and John Calvin, who introduced Protestantism in tangible ways that remain part of the city today. Alsace was a disputed territory between Germany and France the twentieth century, even switching hands between the first to second world war.
To this day, Alsatians retain a unique culture and language that incorporates aspects of German and French yet stands distinctly on its own. My coworkers have introduced me to other aspects of French culture as well. For example, my coworker Blandine took me to the store, and then we cooked Spätzle, an Alsatian pasta dish with diced ham. She also introduced me to “sandwich cakes,” a popular summer meal!
In addition, I have learned that the French or American reaction to certain topics of conversation, while similar in many ways, also significantly differ. For example, the question “how did you meet your husband/wife” does not evoke a long story from a French person as it may encourage an American. On the legal side, a conversation that references “separation of church and state” means something significantly different to a French person than to an American. While Americans interpret the doctrine to mean that the government cannot mandate or make qualitative judgments about religion, the French interpret the doctrine to mean that one should not be influenced by religious considerations in the governmental or public sphere at all.
As a result, French legal culture, due to their bifurcated understanding of separation of church and state, is intentionally secular. This raises interesting issues in regard to practical life. For example, one project I had during my internship was research on U.S. regulation of the halal food industry. In France, an issue arises when a small business creates and sells “religious” food. To the French, such an endeavor undertaken by a public business violates separation of church and state because such a store should be completely secular. On the other hand, American jurisprudence allows the government to enforce against fraudulently marked halal products under consumer protection laws. While the U.S. government cannot determine what constitutes “halal” (for to do so would be to make a qualitative, religious judgment), it can determine whether the store properly cooperated with a religious certification agency. Thus, the U.S. legal framework regarding separation of church and state allows small business to work with halal certification agencies to sell such products. The French legal framework challenges the right to carry such products at all on the ground that it violates separation of church and state because such a business that supposed to provide for general, public needs.
All in all, through my internship with the ECLJ, God introduced me to sincere and hardworking Christians, specifically, Catholics, living in secularized France who work tirelessly to promote human rights and the rule of law for the flourishing of their society. It has been a privilege to meet these people and assist them in their noble endeavor!This post was written by a Center for Global Justice Student Staff member/Law Clerk. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice