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On Monday, September 4, French authorities initiated the enforcement of a newly announced ban on the abaya Muslim dress for women in schools, ensuring strict compliance.
Last month, the government declared its ban on the abaya in schools, citing a breach of secularism rules in education. These rules had previously led to the prohibition of Muslim headscarves on the grounds that they constituted a display of religious affiliation.
This move received support from the political right, but it faced opposition from the hard-left, who argued that it undermined civil liberties.
“This morning has been proceeding well. So far, there have been no incidents, and we will maintain vigilance throughout the day to ensure that students understand the significance of this rule,” said Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne during her visit to a school in northern France.
However, she noted that there were “a certain number” of schools where girls had arrived wearing an abaya. “Some young girls agreed to remove it. For the others, we will engage in discussions with them and employ educational methods to explain that a law is being enforced,” she added.
The hard-left accused President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist government of attempting to compete with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and shifting further to the right through the abaya ban.
Education Minister Gabriel Attal informed RTL radio that authorities had identified 513 schools that could be impacted by the ban at the beginning of the school year. France has approximately 45,000 schools, with 12 million students returning to school on Monday.
Attal mentioned that preparations had been made ahead of the school year to identify schools where this could pose a challenge. He also stated that trained school inspectors would be stationed in certain schools.
However, Attal expressed his opposition to imposing a ban on parents wearing clothing with religious significance when accompanying their children on school outings. “There is a distinction between what occurs in school and what occurs outside of school. What concerns me is what happens within the school,” he said.
Some prominent figures on the right have called on the government to introduce school uniforms in state schools. Attal stated that he would announce a uniform trial in the autumn. “I am not certain it’s a miraculous solution that will solve all school issues. Nevertheless, I believe it is worth testing,” he added.
A law introduced in March 2004 banned “the wearing of signs or outfits by which students ostensibly show a religious affiliation” in schools. This includes large crosses, Jewish kippas, and Islamic headscarves.
