Schoolgirls who refused to change out of the loose-fitting robes have been sent home with a letter to parents on secularism.
French public schools have sent dozens of girls home for refusing to remove their abayas – long, loose-fitting robes worn by some Muslim women and girls – on the first day of the school year, according to Education Minister Gabriel Attal.
Defying a ban on the garment seen as a religious symbol, nearly 300 girls showed up on Monday morning wearing abayas, Attal told the BFM broadcaster on Tuesday.
Most agreed to change out of the robe, but 67 refused and were sent home, he said.
The government announced last month it was banning the abaya in schools, saying it broke the rules on secularism in education that have already seen headscarves forbidden on the grounds they constitute a display of religious affiliation.
The move gladdened the political right but the hard left argued it represented an affront to civil liberties.
The 34-year-old minister said the girls refused entry on Monday were given a letter addressed to their families saying that “secularism is not a constraint, it is a liberty”.
If they showed up at school again wearing the gown there would be a “new dialogue”.
He added that he was in favour of trialling school uniforms or a dress code amid the debate over the ban.
Uniforms have not been obligatory in French schools since 1968 but have regularly come back on the political agenda, often pushed by conservative and far-right politicians.
Attal said he would provide a timetable later this year for carrying out a trial run of uniforms with any schools that agree to participate.
“I don’t think that the school uniform is a miracle solution that solves all problems related to harassment, social inequalities or secularism,” he said.
But he added: “We must go through experiments, try things out” in order to promote debate, he said.
‘Worst consequences’
Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler, reporting from Paris before the ban came into force said Attal deemed the abaya a religious symbol which violates French secularism.
“Since 2004, in France, religious signs and symbols have been banned in schools, including headscarves, kippas and crosses,” she said.
“Gabriel Attal, the education minister, says that no one should walk into a classroom wearing something which could suggest what their religion is.”
On Monday, President Emmanuel Macron defended the controversial measure, saying there was a “minority” in France who “hijack a religion and challenge the republic and secularism”.
He said it leads to the “worst consequences” such as the murder three years ago of teacher Samuel Paty for showing Prophet Muhammad caricatures during a civics education class.
“We cannot act as if the terrorist attack, the murder of Samuel Paty, had not happened,” he said in an interview with the YouTube channel, HugoDecrypte.
An association representing Muslims has filed a motion with the State Council, France’s highest court for complaints against state authorities, for an injunction against the ban on the abaya and the qamis, its equivalent dress for men.
The Action for the Rights of Muslims (ADM) motion is to be examined later on Tuesday.
Who should respect who?
this one obviously
What's this logical trick called? Pinning? Let's give some bad examples to lead you to what we want.
Can you elaborate why?
Can you elaborate why they shouldn't respect the girls or how it's disrespectful for girls to wear a piece of cultural clothing.
Because culture respect works both ways.
If a girl travels to islamic country, she is expected to wear cultural clothing, because it's the culture of islamic country.
And instead of "why locals shouldn't respect girls" I am referring to "why girls should respect local culture".
And I'm asking you, again, how wearing the clothing they want is "disrespecting local culture" unless you're just saying French culture is inherently Islamophobia in which case you might be onto something.
Because wearing them makes them different. In French culture, wearing them is not something French people would do.
Got it. Not wearing = islamophobia. Thanks for explaining this to me.👌
Explain to me what French people wear in French culture. Are you trying to stereotype French people here? What do you call the Muslim population who migrated to France, hold citizenships, have children, speak French, work in France? Are they not French? Or are you implying that French people cannot be Muslims? What about white French who converted to Islam? Are they no longer French?
This is just a (not very) roundabout way of saying that you’re upset that brown people live in France. Nobody is saying that non-Muslim French people not wearing them is Islamophobia, just that this reaction is very obviously rooted in racism and Islamophobia.
Also if the girls are born and raised in France whatever they do is what French people do.
The French idea of nationhood whereby everyone has to conform to just one set of ethno-religious traditions is stuck in the 19th century
I could tell this comment was racist without translating, translating simply allowed me to know it was sarcastic
Bienvenue à Revachol!
I hindsight, I'm going to self-censor that bit. Ironic racism doesn't hit quite right—even if it's dunking on "apolitical" French law.
Probably for the best, same reason I avoid 14 words parodies and such
I don't understand. So France is islamic country? Or islamic and non-islamic country? Afaik majority of France population does not follow islam, or am I wrong here?
Are you trying to force me to be racist or what are your intentions? We are discussing about culture of islamic countries vs non-islamic and respect for each other. You should focus more on the discussion rather than me.
I'll mention it again - I am talking about girls, who should respect local culture and not wear a hijab. Where do you see racism/islamophobia?
Let me call it the other way - lady tourists, when visiting islamic country, should wear cultural clothing to show respect for islamic culture. What are you gonna say about this statement?
people can and should be allowed to be members of minority ethnicities and religions and practice their religion and culture without being impeded by the state
no man you're doing that on your own
in the position that everyone should be forced to conform to the native culture. Glad to clear up the confusion
You’re either the dumbest person on this website or just racist (I know which one my money is on), take your just asking questions routine back to
They are just a racist piece of shit
Jesus christ that's a hell of a strawman especially imnediatly following up "Muslims aren't actually french people"
You are a racist
This is racism
You are doing a racism
Shut the fuck up
Religion is not a race
Wow I had no idea, you racist piece of shit
We all know you don’t care about the religion, you want to destroy the culture of the scary brown people, fuck off
they are different they have a different religion. Are you saying that to live in France you must belong to the same ethno religious background as white Frenchmen. Bacause that's so unprogressive you might as well go back to persecuting Huguenots.
no it is not islamophobic to not wear Islamic religious dress it is islamophobic to forbid anyone else of wearing it. Similarly it would not be anti-semitic to not wear a kippah but it would be anti-semitic to forbid anyone else wearing a kippah
The Moors shouldn't have stopped at Tours.
And here I thought neoliberal society was supposed to be culturally and religiously pluralistic
Because it's none of your business what those girls wear, and it's definitely not the state's business
because of freedom of conscience these girls should have the freedom to follow the religious beliefs they choose and the state or school system has no business intervening
We are expected to respect local culture when we visit islamic countries. Although I'm all for self-expression and freedom I can't see why France is making a mistake here.
Majority would disagree with me, but I am leaning towards "girls should respect local culture" and not wear them. The same applies to islamic countries (as you just mentioned) - tourist girls, when going there, are respecting local culture and wear them.
Respect works both ways, and those girls should respect local culture.
This is only a tough answer if you dont consider the social hierarchy. Otherwise, literally no nuance
Except that you can't separate girls with abayas from locals/local culture. They are also French, of a nation with many ethnicities living in it. To say that people of certain ethnic minorities are not "locals" is profoundly xenophobic.
"Those Jews whose families have lived here for centuries and whose first language is French should really assimilate to the local culture"
https://lemmy.world/comment/3190279
Everyone should respect each other religion or lack of, and not display things that could be associated with religion to avoid problems and conflicts.
It's unnecessary if I go to university with my shirt of Satan and a patch with a pentagram. Better to leave that at home.
Religion deserves no respect because there is nothing intrinsically objective about it. Anyone can believe anything. So, I propose we simply have rules that are for everyone, ignores religion, and we just live by them. As long as your religion doesn't break those rules, do whatever the fuck you want.
Mmm yes, good thinking
So girls should not wear them?