The French ban on the abaya in schools raises applause and criticism

PARIS, Aug 28 (Reuters) – French conservatives on Monday applauded the government’s decision to ban children from wearing the abaya, the loose-fitting, long gowns worn by some Muslim women, in state-run schools, but the move also sparked interest. Criticism and some ridicule.

France, which has imposed a strict ban on religious symbols in state schools since 19th-century laws removed any traditional Catholic influence from public education, has struggled to update guidelines to deal with the growing Muslim minority.

The strict label of secularism, known as “secularism”, is a sensitive topic, and often leads to tension.

“Our schools are constantly being tested, and over the past months, violations of secularism have increased significantly, especially with (pupils) wearing religious clothing such as gowns and shirts,” Education Minister Gabriel Atal told a news conference to explain the ban imposed on Sunday.

Conservative Republican Party Chairman Eric Ciotti was quick to welcome this step, stressing that his party had repeatedly demanded it.

But Clementine Otan, an MP for the far-left party of Proud France, criticized what she called the “clothing police” and the move “characterizing the obsessive rejection of Muslims.”

National Secretary Didier Georges told Reuters that SNPDEN-UNSA welcomed the move, saying what it needed above all was clarity.

“What we wanted from the ministers was: yes or no?” George said of the cloak. “We are satisfied that the decision has been made. We would have been equally happy if the decision had been to allow the cloak.”

Speaking of concerns about the security of school principals, he said, “We were concerned about the significant increase in (the number of students) wearing the abaya. We believe that our role is not arbitration but the role of the state.”

And in 2020, history teacher Samuel Paty was murdered by an Islamist extremist in an attack that struck at the core of the country’s secular values ​​and the role teachers play.

Sophie Venetitae, of the SNES-FSU, said it was important to focus on dialogue with pupils and families to ensure the ban did not mean children were removed from state-run schools to go to religious schools.

“What is certain is that the abaya is not the main problem for schools,” she told Reuters, stressing that the lack of teachers is a much bigger problem.

In 2004 France banned headscarves in schools and issued a ban on full-face veils in public places in 2010, angering some in the Muslim community of five million.

Less than a year ago, Atal’s predecessor, Pape Ndiaye, decided not to go any further and specifically banned the cloak, telling the Senate that “defining the cloak is not easy, legally…he will lose.”

Abdallah Zakri, vice-president of the French Council of the Muslim Faith, made a similar point, saying that Attal’s decision was misleading.

“The abaya is not a religious garment, it is a kind of fashion,” he told BFM TV.

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