Abaya in france.

France bans Muslim students from wearing abayas in public schools

Students will not be allowed to wear the loose abayas that some Muslim women prefer. The move comes nearly 20 years after France banned the headscarf in public schools.

Abaya generally refers to a loose-fitting garment, essentially a shirt-like dress, worn by women in regions of the Arabian Peninsula, much of the Middle East, and sometimes in North Africa

, but the question of whether the abaya is symbolic is a question. The use of religious attire is a controversial issue.

Last year, former education minister Pap Ndiaye argued that the abaya is a faith-teaching garment that could be "potentially religious", if not symbolic.

The debate continues this year as well.

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The French Muslim Worship Council says some have "misunderstood" the burqa as a religious symbol.

"Any garment itself is not a religious symbol," the group said in a statement in June.

"It is enough to walk in a Muslim-majority country to realize that the citizens of these countries, regardless of their religion, differ in the clothes they wear."

French conservatives on Monday praised the government's decision to ban children from wearing the burka, a loose-fitting garment some Muslim women wear in public schools, but the move has also sparked criticism and some criticism. .

France, which has banned religious symbols in public schools since the 19th century, has had a hard time reforming recommendations to deal with its dwindling Muslim population, with a law removing any Catholic influence in public education.

The strict target of secularism, called "secularism", is a sensitive issue and often causes confusion.

Education Minister Gabriel Atta said, "Our schools are constantly being tested and there has been a huge impact in the last few months for violations of religious beliefs, particularly when [students] kick their clothes in religious practices like abaya and kameez." said. At a press conference announcing the incident on Sunday. annoyed.

Conservative Republican leader Eric Ciotti immediately welcomed the move, saying his party has requested it several times.

However, ultra-left French Insoumise MP Clémentine Autain criticized, in her own words, the "police uniform" and the movement "obsessively separating Muslims". Didier Georges, the union's national secretary, told Reuters that the union's school leaders welcomed the move and said truth is the most important thing.

"What do we want from the president yes: yes or no?" George mentioned robes. “We are happy that the decision has been made. We would have been just as happy if she had decided to wear jeans.

He expressed his concerns about customer safety by saying "We are concerned about the huge increase in materials (students). We believe that the decision is the responsibility of the state, not ours".

In 2020, history professor Samuel Paty was killed by Islamist militants in an attack that struck a blow to the country's secular values ​​and the role of the teacher. Sophie Venetitay of the

SNES-FSU alliance said it was important to focus on dialogue with students and families to ensure that the ban does not mean that children will be taken from public schools to religious schools. "To be clear, the uniforms are not the real problem at school," he told Reuters, adding that the shortage of teachers is a bigger problem.

France banned the headscarf in schools in 2004 and banned the headscarf in public in 2010; this sparked anger in the country's five million Muslim community.

Less than a year ago, Attar's leader, Pap Ndiaye, told the Senate that "the robe is not easily defined by law...that will get us to the Judiciary Committee, we're down there".

Abdallah Zekri, vice president of the French Council of Muslim Religions (CFCM), made a similar point and said that Attar's decision was wrong. "Abaya is not a religious garment, it's a fashion,"

told BFM TV.