France
For fourteen centuries, French territory was an assemblage of Catholic and monarchical interests; the result is a deep-seated Catholic imprint which endures to this day though more so in some parts of France than in others. After the Revolution, France experimented with various forms of government which promoted a progressive separation between state and religion (meaning the Catholic Church). This was a long, difficult, and at times painful process resulting eventually in a Republic, in which the notion of laïcité became ever more important. Since the 1970s, the French population has become both increasingly indifferent to religion and increasingly diverse. Currently 40 per cent of the population has no religion, and Islam constitutes an important presence in the country. The growth of Islam has provoked a variety of reactions: accommodation, restriction, suspicion, and resentment.