France Bans Wearing Of Abaya, Religious Artifacts In Schools

The French Education Minister, Gabriel Attal, has announced that wearing an abaya by female Muslim students and other religious artifacts in the school has been prohibited.

Abaya is a simple, loose over-garment, essentially a robe-like dress, worn by some women in parts of the Muslim world.

Recall in 2004, the Islamic veil or a cross was banned in French schools, but in other garments, school directors had to decide individually if students were wearing them as a sign of faith or not.

However, Attal said the ban is a result of an increase in the number of schools reporting breaches of secularism, which is a very important principle in France.

He said, “When you walk into a classroom, you shouldn’t be able to identify the pupils’ religion just by looking at them.

“I have decided that the abaya could no longer be worn in schools,” Attal said on Sunday.

Before now, the laws were originally aimed at removing any traditional Catholic influence from public education, but have been updated over time to include other religions.

The Jewish kippah, oversized crosses, and other religious symbols are also banned from state schools.

The ban in school has been in existence since the 19th Century.