French Schools Send Home Muslim Schoolgirls for Defying Abaya Ban on First Day of Term
French schools faced a challenge on the first day of the term as they sent dozens of Muslim girls home for their refusal to remove their abayas, a government minister disclosed on Tuesday, September 5.
In direct opposition to the recent ban on the Islamic dress in schools, nearly 300 girls arrived on Monday morning wearing abayas, revealed education secretary Gabriel Attal in an interview with BFM broadcaster.
The majority of students consented to change out of the attire, but 67 individuals refused and were subsequently sent home, as per Attal.
The government had declared the ban on the abaya last month, citing violations of secularism in education rules, which had already led to the prohibition of Muslim headscarves on the grounds of displaying religious affiliation.
Attal emphasized during the ban announcement that students’ religious affiliation should not be identifiable merely by their appearance when entering a classroom. He stated, “I have decided that the abaya can no longer be worn in schools.”
Today, Attal commented that the girls who were denied entry were provided with a letter directed to their families, stressing that “secularism is not a constraint; it is a liberty.” He added that if they returned to school wearing the abaya again, a “new dialogue” would be initiated.
On Monday evening, President Emmanuel Macron defended the contentious measure, pointing out that there is a “minority” in France that “hijacks a religion and challenges the republic and secularism,” leading to “worst consequences” such as the murder of teacher Samuel Paty three years ago for showing Mohamed caricatures during a civics education class.
Macron underlined, “We cannot act as if the terrorist attack, the murder of Samuel Paty, had not happened,” during 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, seeking an injunction against the ban on the abaya and its male equivalent, the qamis.
The Action for the Rights of Muslims (ADM) motion is scheduled for examination later on Tuesday.
Abdallah Zekri, vice-president of the French Council for Muslim Worship, had previously stated that the abaya “has never been a religious symbol” and should not be banned.
Zekri expressed that the ban was another instance of politicians targeting the preferred attire of women and girls to attack around five million Muslims residing in France.
He recommended, “I think the minister could have asked the opinion of religious leaders. For me, the abaya is not a religious dress; it is a form of fashion. If you go to some stores, you find abayas. It’s a long and loose dress at the same time. It has nothing to do with religion.”