French schools have sent many students home for wearing abayas on the first day of the year. The French government banned wearing abayas in schools last month. This, they claim, is violating the norms of secularism in education. France has already banned the wearing of the hijab to stop the display of religious identity. News from AFP
Education Minister Gabriel Atal said about 300 students came to school wearing abayas, defying the ban on Islamic dress. Most students agreed to change clothes when asked to remove their abayas, but 67 refused to change clothes and were sent home. While the move pleased the right, the hard left said it was an infringement on civil liberties.
In the face of criticism, the minister claimed that abaya is a political symbol. He said letters were sent to the families of the girls who refused to change the abaya. Where it is written, secularism is not a barrier, it is a freedom.
French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, supported the controversial move, saying there was a minority community in France that hijacked a religion and challenged the state and secularism.
In France, a 2004 law banned the wearing of symbols or clothing displaying religious affiliation in schools. These prohibitions include – the large Christian cross, the Jewish kippah and the Islamic hijab.
