With an overwhelming vote, France’s Senate has assured that a law banning Islamic head scarves from public schools will be on the books for the new school year in September despite protests at home and abroad. Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin expressed official concern for the first time Wednesday over possible negative fallout over the law, telling senators that France must “try to reassure” detractors who consider it discriminatory. However, massive approval hours later by the Senate, which voted 276-20 in favor of the legislation, provides the legitimacy President Jacques Chirac sought. The vote came three weeks after the National Assembly, the lower chamber, overwhelmingly approved the bill in a 494-36 vote following a marathon debate. Full Story