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France Bans Abaya in State Schools

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France Bans Abaya in State Schools

  • Starting Sept. 4, students will be banned from wearing abayas [robe-like outer garments that are by some women in the Muslim faith] in France's state-run schools, the country's education minister, Gabriel Attal, announced Sunday. BBC News (LR: 3 CP: 5)
  • Defending his decision to ban the abaya, Attal stated, "When you walk into a classroom, you shouldn't be able to identify the pupils' religion just by looking at them." Reuters (LR: 3 CP: 5)
  • Attal claimed that the dress violated France's secular laws, saying, "abaya is a religious gesture" that tests the country's resistance toward "the secular sanctuary that school must constitute." The Week
  • A 2004 law bans wearing "signs or outfits by which students ostensibly show a religious affiliation" in educational institutes — including large crosses, Jewish kippas, and Islamic headscarves. France 24
  • In 2010, France banned wearing full-face veils in public. Al Jazeera (LR: 2 CP: 1)
  • According to the French Council of Muslim Faith, a national organization representing numerous Muslim associations, clothing alone isn't "a religious sign." Al Arabiya English

Left narrative:

  • The abaya ban in French schools violates fundamental rights and religious freedom of expression. It also stigmatizes and marginalizes young girls who practice the Islamic faith. Additionally, the ban is unconstitutional as French law bans "attire displaying religious worship" in state-run schools, but the floor-length dress isn't classified as religious clothing.
    CNN (LR: 2 CP: 5)

Right narrative:

  • The move comes after months of debate over abayas in France's state-run schools, where not just Muslim religious symbols but Christian and Jewish signs are also banned. Islamic attire is undoubtedly being used politically to circumvent France's strict laws and damage the country's secular fabric. The reality is that secular policies are implemented across all religions fairly.
    The Times of Israel

Establishment-critical narrative:

  • President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance Party is attempting to compete with Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally by targeting Muslims and their civil liberties. Attal's attempt to pander to far-right voters has broader implications for civil liberties in French society.
    Le Monde.fr

Nerd narrative:

  • There's a 40% chance that Emmanuel Macron will dissolve the French National Assembly before the end of his term, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
    Metaculus (LR: 3 CP: 3)
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