France will ban the abaya, the tunic worn by Muslims, in schools

The French government will ban school and secondary school girls from wearing abayas, tunics commonly used in North African and Arab countries, the French education minister announced on Sunday.

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“It will no longer be possible to wear the abaya at school,” Gabriel Attal said during an interview with TF1 television, in which he considered that this dress violates the strict norms of secularism in French education.

The abaya covers the entire body, except for the face, hands and feet. The use of this cloak by adolescents had generated controversy in France, especially due to criticism from the right and the extreme right.

“When you enter a class, you should not be able to identify the religion of the students by looking at them,” added the minister.

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Although the French Council of Muslim Cult (CFCM) considers that it does not represent an Islamic symbol, andThe Ministry of Education had already published a circular last year authorizing schools to prohibit this item of clothingas well as bandanas and very long skirts.

France already prohibited in 2004 the fact of wearing in schools and institutes any ostensible religious sign, such as the Islamic veil or kipás.

AFP