France has prohibited students from wearing abayas and guys from wearing qamis at state schools in a disputable move.
Even though French law requires a rigorous distinction between the state and religion.The decision to make the change as the new school year gets underway was made by Gabriel Attal, the country’s new minister of education.
In Muslim nations, women have historically worn the full-length abaya. The boy’s equivalent is the qamis.
The ban is based on a long-standing ban on visible religious symbols in schools in France amid ongoing efforts to promote secularism.
Mr Attal said the number of violations of secularism rules at schools has significantly increased over the past few months, often involving abayas.
The ban comes after extensive debate in France about whether the abaya is a religious symbol or an ordinary garment.
“Religious symbols have no place in school,” President Emmanuel Macron said a week ago.
According to him, school administrators shouldn’t be forced to make the decision themselves.
The nation’s top administrative court, the Council of State, has already received a complaint from a group that defends Muslims’ rights.