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This article focuses on the secularism debate currently taking place in France by examining how this issue impacts the integration of immigrants, particularly Muslim immigrants. Secularism is one of the key values of French Republicanism, but one which has been challenged by the establishment of a settled population of Muslim immigrants in France. The issue has been particularly highlighted by the affaire des foulards (headscarf affair), an ongoing debate over the rights of Muslim girls to wear a headscarf to secular French schools. Discussions of the principle of secularism and of its application have been even more intense in recent months with the publication in December 2003 of a report by the Stasi Commission, a commission set up by President Chirac to investigate the application of the principle of secularism, and by the passage of legislation intended to outlaw the wearing of any “overt” religious insignia in French schools. This article examines these recent developments in the context of the long-running debate over Muslim women's right to wear a headscarf in French schools. It argues that the current focus on secularism provides evidence of the return of assimilation as a primary objective of public policy (Brubaker, 2001) and the decreasing strength of the movement in favour of the droit à la différence (right to difference). Finally, the paper argues that this has provided important obstacles to the integration of certain groups of immigrants, particularly Muslim immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Being a Contracting Party to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its Protocol with geographical limitation, Turkey provides conditional refugee status, not refugee status, to persons feeling persecution as a result of events occurring outside Europe. This study focuses on the rights of conditional refugees under Turkish laws and questions whether these rights comply with or diverge from the rights of refugee under the Convention. It draws conclusions on the significance and challenging character of the identified divergences and on the changes that Turkey needs to make in its laws in case of an eventual lifting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through the analysis of in‐depth interviews with 36 officers involved in nationality acquisition procedures and representatives of associations working to support candidates, I analyse the application of current Belgian nationality law. I show how significant variation, mainly between different territorial offices, exists in the application of the law and how such variation contradicts the fundamental democratic norm of the equality of (aspirant) citizens. This is despite legislation with a high level of codification of the requirements, as well as a procedure that involves magistrates and allows full judicial review, conditions that should leave very little space for discretion. I argue that such variation in the Belgian case arises mainly from the decentralized organization of the procedure and the lack of measures to assure shared interpretations of the law at the national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study to assess the condition of immigrants in an illegal situation in both countries of origin and destination. It cites various consequences for foreign workers who are in an illegal situation which include lower wage receipt, lack of social security insurance, and execution of dangerous or unhealthy job. It says that the country's economic stagnation and recession has increased instances of illegal migration. It mentions that expulsion has become the primary precautionary measure used by the affected states to protect its society and promote public safety. It adds that though migrants are in an illegal situation, they are still entitled with human rights including civil, political, and social.