France and the Yarmulkah*

*First, what is a yarmulkah or a kippa?  "A Kippah, kippa, kipoh, or kipa also known as a yarmulke, . . .  is a brimless cap, usually made of cloth, worn by Jews to fulfill the customary requirement held by orthodox halachic authorities that the head be covered at all times. It is usually worn by men and, less frequently, by women . . . at times of prayer.

"Mr. President, the kippah to us is a sign of reverence." Rabbi Feller, another member of the group, continued, "We place the kippah on the very highest point of our being—on our head, the vessel of our intellect—to tell ourselves and the world that there is something which is above man's intellect: the infinite Wisdom of God."

Back to the point:
Yeshiva World News

"The head of the Jewish community in Marseille, France, Zvi Ammar, announced last week that Jews should avoid wearing the kippah

in the streets. The announcement was made last Tuesday a day after a teenager attacked and slightly injured a teacher in the southern France city who wore a yarmulkah.

"The teenager, a Turkish citizen of Kurdish origin who was armed with a machete and a knife, said that he had acted in the name of the militant Islamic State group, according to French prosecutors.

“Not wearing the kippa can save lives and nothing is more important,” Ammar told the French paper, La Provence daily. “It really hurts to reach that point but I don’t want anyone to die in Marseille because they have a kippa on their head.”

"Marseille has the third largest Jewish community in France.

"Ammar added, “On Saturday, for the first time in my life, I will not be wearing the kippa to the synagogue.” . . .

Before we discuss the sources, it should be generally understood that regardless of the final halacha, covering one’s head engenders hachna’ah . . . – humility, a necessary component in prayer -

"According to the position of those Poskim who hold that it is not an obligation, there is no question that in a location where there is a significant danger, one may remove one’s Yarmulkah. "

While we're at it, these are the Tzitzit:
. . . "The Torah states in Numbers 15:38: "Speak to the Children of Israel, and say to them, that they shall make themselves tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and they shall put on the corner tassel a blue-violet (Tekhelet) thread." Wearing the Tzitzit is also commanded in Deuteronomy 22:12:

"You shall make yourself twisted cords, on the four corners of your garment with which you cover yourself.' " . . .