PARIS: French Education Minister Gabriel Attal has announced that the country will no longer permit women to wear abayas in schools due to their perceived violation of France’s strict secular laws. The decision, deemed by some as a “religious gesture,” has ignited a range of reactions from observers and the public.
Speaking on TF1 television, Attal stated, “It will no longer be possible to wear an abaya at school.” He further expressed intentions to provide “clear rules at the national level to school heads” prior to the nationwide return to classes on September 4.
The move comes after a prolonged debate over the presence of abayas in schools, where women were previously not allowed to wear headscarves. Some reports indicate an increasing prevalence of abayas in educational settings, resulting in tensions between teachers and parents.
The decision has been met with a spectrum of responses from political quarters. While the right and far-right have advocated for the ban, left-leaning factions argue that such restrictions encroach upon civil liberties.
French Minister Describes Abayas as “Religious Gesture”
Attal emphasized the importance of secularism and its role in education, stating, “Secularism means the freedom to emancipate oneself through school.” He described the abaya as “a religious gesture” that challenges the secular principles that schools should uphold.
Attal underscored that classrooms should be devoid of symbols of religious affiliation, explaining, “You enter a classroom, you must not be able to identify the religion of the students by looking at them.”
In 2004, a law was passed prohibiting “the wearing of signs or outfits by which students ostensibly show a religious affiliation” in schools. This encompassed items such as large crosses, Jewish kippas, and Islamic headscarves.
Unlike headscarves, abayas—long, loose-fitting garments worn for modesty based on Islamic beliefs—had previously occupied a legal gray area and faced no outright ban until now. A circular issued by the education ministry in November last year categorized abayas as clothing items that could be banned if they were “worn in a manner as to openly display a religious affiliation.”
