The world has had lots to say about 15 French towns that banned the full-body burkini swimsuit worn by some Muslim women. All this seems barbaric to many Americans – a clear violation not only of the free exercise of religion guaranteed by the Constitution, but also of the liberté and égalité the French supposedly hold dear. As UVA professor Douglas Laycock has observed, when it comes to religious liberty, France and the United States are now “like distant cousins who have lost contact.”