As students throughout France returned to school on Monday, French authorities began enforcing a recently announced ban on Muslim women wearing the abaya in educational settings.
The government stated last month that it was outlawing the abaya in educational institutions, claiming that it violated the secularism in education regulations that have previously seen Muslim headscarves outlawed because they are a sign of religious allegiance.
The action pleased the political right, while the hard left said it violated civil freedoms.
The hard left has accused the government of centrist President Emmanuel Macron of trying with the abaya ban to compete with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and shifting further to the right.
According to the Education Ministry, 513 schools could be affected by the ban at the start of the school year.
There are around 45,000 schools in France, with 12 million pupils going back to school on Monday.
The government stated last month that it was outlawing the abaya in educational institutions, claiming that it violated the secularism in education regulations that have previously seen Muslim headscarves outlawed because they are a sign of religious allegiance.
The action pleased the political right, while the hard left said it violated civil freedoms.
The hard left has accused the government of centrist President Emmanuel Macron of trying with the abaya ban to compete with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and shifting further to the right.
According to the Education Ministry, 513 schools could be affected by the ban at the start of the school year.
There are around 45,000 schools in France, with 12 million pupils going back to school on Monday.
