The Scotsman is reporting that Paris is the favorite to secure the bid for the 2012 Olympics despite its stance on the Iraq war and "problems over whether their ban on headscarves in schools will cause resentment among Muslim and Sikhs who might otherwise support their bid." (See previous post on Paris 2012 bid here.) According to Paris 2012 chief executive Philippe Baudillon:

In my opinion, all the Muslim countries are aware that you have to respect the law, and when we are in an Arabic or Muslim countries we respect their law, it’s very important.

The question, of course, is whether this particular law should survive given competing interests, recognized in other nations such as the United States (e.g., freedom of religion, equal protection); that is, while the rule of law is important, the law itself is subject to review and should not contravene certain fundamental principles of equality.