On the first day of the school year, French schools faced a situation where numerous girls were sent home for refusing to remove their abayas, a full-body over-garment predominantly worn by Muslim women.
This incident transpired due to the implementation of a new uniform regulation, which followed last month’s ban by the French administration on children wearing abayas in state-run schools. This decision evoked both applause and criticism, with a government spokesman characterizing the abaya as a “political attack.”
Education Minister Gabriel Attal disclosed that nearly 300 girls arrived at school on September 4th wearing abayas, openly defying the ban on this Muslim attire. While most students agreed to change out of their abayas, 67 students refused and were subsequently sent home.
Attal reported that the girls who were denied entry received a letter addressed to their families emphasizing that “secularism is not a constraint, it is a liberty.” He further stated that if these students reappeared at school wearing abayas, there would be an opportunity for “new dialogue.”
Action for the Rights of Muslims (ADM), an organization representing Muslims, has sought an injunction against the prohibition of abayas and qamis, the male equivalent clothing, through the State Council. This motion was scheduled for review later on the same day.
French President Emmanuel Macron defended the controversial measure, asserting that there is a “minority” in France that “exploits a religion and challenges the republic and secularism,” leading to dire consequences such as the murder of teacher Samuel Paty three years ago for displaying caricatures of Prophet Mohamed during a civics education class.
Macron stated in an interview with the YouTube channel HugoDecrypte that “we cannot act as if the terrorist attack, the murder of Samuel Paty, had not happened.”
Historically, women have been prohibited from wearing headscarves in French schools. The country has maintained strict regulations against religious symbols in state schools since 19th-century laws removed any trace of traditional Catholic influence from public education. However, it has faced challenges in updating guidelines for the Muslim minority.
In 2004, France enacted a ban on headscarves in schools, prompting thousands of individuals, including many women wearing headscarves, to protest against the law banning Islamic coverings and other religious attire in public schools. Public opinion polls indicated substantial support among French citizens for the prohibition.
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