France to soon ban wearing of abayas by Muslim women in schools

French authorities are to ban the wearing in school of abaya dresses worn by some Muslim women, the education minister Gabriel Attal said, citing the country's stringent secular education rules. Education Minister Gabriel Attal stated that "clear rules at the national level" will be provided to school administrators prior to the start of schools across the country on September 4. He argued that the garment violates France's strict secular laws in education.

The move comes after months of debate over the wearing of abayas in French schools, where women have long been banned from wearing the Islamic headscarf.

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The ban had been promoted by the right and extreme right, who claimed it would violate civil freedoms. According to reports, abayas are being worn in schools more frequently, and there are conflicts between teachers and parents about it.

"Secularism means the freedom to emancipate oneself through school," Attal said, describing the abaya as "a religious gesture, aimed at testing the resistance of the republic toward the secular sanctuary that school must constitute. When you go into a classroom, you shouldn't be able to tell the pupils' faith just by looking at them, he added.  

Abaya is a long, baggy garment worn to comply with Islamic beliefs on modest dress. Abayas, a long, baggy garment used to adhere to Islamic views on modest attire, inhabited a grey area and, unlike headscarves, had not yet been subject to an outright prohibition.

In March 2004, the French law had 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.

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• France
• Gabriel Attal
• Muslim
• Muslim women
• abaya dresses
• education
• secular laws