Hmm... living mostly in France I see at least one person wearing a muslim or hebrew head-thinggy on the street almost every day. Is the law actually unenforced?

Hmm... living mostly in France I see at least one person wearing a muslim or hebrew head-thinggy on the street almost every day. Is the law actually unenforced? Or are these people clerics (Imams or Rabis) going to/from work and they are exempt from this? ...just curious, gonna ask around.