France discriminates against Muslim women

Elizabeth Koeppen, Intro Writer

   At the beginning of April, France proposed an amendment to ban women under the age of eighteen from wearing the hijab in any public areas. 

   Although the law has not been officially enacted, the French Senate voted in favor of the law, which comes as a part of a larger French bill. The bill has been dubbed the “separatism bill,” with French legislators claiming it is an effort to further separate church and state. If the Republican party wins the upcoming election, the bill will likely be passed and go into effect. 

   In addition to banning minors from wearing the hijab in public, additional proposed amendments have defined that Muslim women wearing the hijab would not be allowed to accompany their children on school-related trips, according to Elis Gjevori, a journalist who covers European affairs, particularly relating to Islam.

   Many critics are calling the law an “attack on Islam,” particularly Muslim women. Rim Sarah Alouan, a researcher on religious freedom and civil liberties, said, “What we are witnessing is what I called the weaponization of secularism.”

   Unfortunately, anti-Muslim legislation and attacks aren’t new to the French community. Back in 2004, wearing the hijab was banned from all public schools. 

   Although there are several reasons rooted in French history that explain why there are so many anti-Muslim sentiments, a main one points towards France’s history of tradition. Many believe the increasingly harsh legislation comes in an effort to preserve traditional French culture and mandate a strict separation between church and state. Expert on religion in France, Dominique Decherf notes that this is mainly seen through banning displays of religion in public. Often, this comes down to targeting women wearing the hijab.

   Another reason turns into a “chicken before the egg” scenario, pointing towards Islamic terrorism in France. French members of Congress make the argument that targeting Muslims is in an effort to combat the terrorism. However, several experts agree that the terrorism stems from Muslims feeling ostracized.