Referred to in France as l'affaire du voile (the veil affair), l'affaire du voile islamique (the Islamic veil affair), and l'affaire du foulard (the scarf affair) among other bynames, the controversy over Islamic women's clothing has rocked France since the mid-1990s, especially pertaining to the wearing of the scarf in French public schools. The debate raises questions as to: This article is intended to give a synopsis of this controversy, starting from l'affaire du foulard and the vote on laïcité (secularity) in France to the present, and the arguments of the different parties involved.