With the beginning of the brand new educational 12 months, over 500 colleges are within the crosshairs of the French authorities on the lookout for indicators of scholars violating a newly introduced ban on the abaya, the training minister confirmed Monday.
The authorities introduced the controversial ban on the abaya in colleges final month, claiming it broke the foundations on secularism in training which have already seen Muslim headscarves banned.
“There are 513 establishments that we have identified as potentially concerned by this question at the start of the school year,” Education Minister Gabriel Attal instructed RTL radio.
He stated work had been executed forward of the beginning of the college 12 months to see during which colleges this might current an issue, including that skilled faculty inspectors can be positioned in sure colleges.
There are round 45,000 colleges in France, with 12 million pupils going again to highschool on Monday.
Abaya is a loose-fitting, full-length gown for girls usually worn in lots of Arab, Middle Eastern and North African nations.
The transfer drew criticism and mock from rights and non secular minority teams however was applauded by French conservatives.
The left has accused the federal government of centrist President Emmanuel Macron of attempting with the abaya ban to compete with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and shifting additional to the appropriate.
Clementine Autain, an MP for the hard-left France Insoumise, criticized what she known as the “clothes police” and a transfer “characteristic of an obsessional rejection of Muslims.”
Abdallah Zekri, vice-chair of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), made an analogous level, saying Attal’s determination was misguided.
“The abaya is not religious attire, it’s a type of fashion,” he instructed BFM TV.
Legal problem
Meanwhile, a rights watchdog in France has challenged the federal government’s abaya ban in colleges on the Council of State, the nation’s highest courtroom.
Vincent Brengarth, the lawyer for the Muslim Rights Action (ADM), wrote on X late Friday that they filed an enchantment with the Council of State to hunt the suspension of the ban, which he stated violates “several fundamental freedoms.”
Brengarth, along with his colleague William Bourdon, utilized to the courtroom on behalf of the rights group, he stated.
Earlier Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron vowed that the federal government shall be uncompromising on the overgarment ban in colleges.
He backed Attal’s stance, saying: “We will be uncompromising on this topic … We will take actions beyond words.”
The controversial transfer sparked backlash towards the federal government for concentrating on Muslims with statements and insurance policies.
It has carried out raids on mosques and charitable foundations in recent times and handed an “anti-separatism” regulation that slaps wide-ranging restrictions on the neighborhood.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
