French court approves abaya ban in French schools

  A French court has approved a ban on the wearing of the abaya for female Muslim students in the country's schools. The Administrative Council, which is the country's highest court, has said that the government's decision to ban the Muslim abaya for men is in line with French law, which does not allow the use of masculine religious symbols. The decision has been made following a complaint filed by the Association representing Muslims in France called Action for the Rights of Muslims (ADM) to oppose the ban on the abaya and qamis or tunics, a garment worn by Muslim men, adopted by the country's government. The ban on wearing abayas in French schools came into effect on Monday, in line with the start of the new academic year in the country.

Gabriel Attal According to the French Minister of Education, Gabriel Attal, about 300 Muslim girls arrived at their mosque that day wearing the dress to defy the ban imposed by the government on the pretext that the abaya is a religious symbol. While most of the students agreed to take off the garment, 67 of them were not ready to do so; and therefore they were sent home. In recent years, Western countries, including France, have been implementing policies of spreading fear and hatred against Islam in various political and social fields. Before the abaya ban, in 2004 the French government banned girls from wearing headscarves, especially in state-owned schools. Abaya, which is considered to be a modern style spider is worn by some Muslim women as a veil along with a headscarf to complete the Hijab.../