AFPEn woman in an abaya on the street in Marseille
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 12:58
Nearly 300 students went to school in an abaya yesterday at the start of the new school year in France, despite the ban announced last week. Most were allowed in after taking off the floor-length robe with long sleeves, but 67 girls who refused were sent home.
French education minister Gabriel Attal made this known this morning in a tv-interview. The government has banned the robe, worn mainly by Muslim women, in schools because the garment violates the strictly secular nature of French state institutions. The qamis, a kind of long shirt worn by men, is also prohibited.
Resists
Since 2004, it has been banned in educational institutions to wear symbols or clothing that express religious devotion. Critics of the ban on the abaya argue that it is not necessarily an Islamic garment.
President Macron supports the ban. According to him, “a small minority are misusing the garment to hijack the Islamic religion and challenge the secular republic”.
The measure has led to resistance among Muslims. The organization Muslim Rights Action (ADM) announced on Friday that a request has been submitted to the French Council of State to have the ban suspended. According to the organization, the measure violates “several fundamental freedoms”. The court is hearing the case today.
2023-09-05 10:58:16
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