Arthur Keefer is an American doctoral student at the University of Cambridge, where he is studying the Hebrew Bible.

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Could Charlie Hebdo Have Been Prevented if France Allowed Religious Instruction?

Photo via Elizabeth Bryant / RNS

Banners hang on Paris City Hall supporting Charlie Hebdo. Photo via Elizabeth Bryant / RNS

The aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo shootings has recently moved from the streets of Paris to the classrooms of France, where teachers, students, and policymakers confront religion and free speech.

The Charlie Hebdo cartoons and January’s subsequent rally of support for the satirical magazine revealed France’s full support for freedom of expression. This freedom includes satire: portraits mocking Muhammad, sometimes clothed, sometimes nude. But while France shares an enthusiasm for “free speech” found among other nations, it lacks one aspect of culture found in most countries: religious education.