Secular republic's obsession .. Why France is veiled?

Hafsa Alami-Paris

The debate over the right to wear the headscarf in public places does not end in France.

On October 29, the French Senate voted on a new bill banning schoolgirl escorts from wearing religious symbols by 163 votes to 114, while the French president commented that "wearing the hijab in public is not my business." "But wearing it in public facilities and in the school where our children are raised is my business." This decision is based on the March 2004 law, which adopts the principle of secularism in French public schools.

If France is preparing to end 2019 unlike another headscarf controversy, it should be noted that the controversy has already emerged in February because of a runner who wore the hijab from the Decatlon brand, and was subjected to numerous pressures that led her to abandon his marketing just six days after the dispute began.

The turmoil over the issue of Muslim women wearing headscarves reflects a societal struggle suffered by veiled women in France, which may appear in the form of fear or narrowing in everyday situations.

Hijab and education
The state of rejection of the hijab in French society affected the field of education in France, and affected the situation of students and mothers of students from the Arab and Muslim communities.

"I chose to wear the hijab seven years ago with my individual conviction, because it is a personal religious and spiritual reflection. I didn't even think about the consequences of my relationship with others," Wassila (PhD student in epidemiology) told Al Jazeera Net.

"The result that France has today, under the pretext of wearing the hijab, is that women cannot hope for high positions in their field, can not exercise or go to the swimming pool, and soon they can not accompany school picnics. A person and not "veiled woman", and I want to live in a country where everyone lives together.

"I have been living in France for about 20 years," says Iman from Strasbourg. "I have to remove my headscarf when I was a student, and now before I enter my hospital, it is unacceptable to be prevented from wearing it during meetings or school trips, because I have the right to participate." With my son in his activities without a sense of exclusion or embarrassment from the administration and the parents of other pupils. "

Although Rasha (a law student) is not veiled, she supports veiled women in their case. "It seems that the Senate has taken advantage of recent events to raise the issue of the veil in France more strongly. Behind the concept of secularism, veiled women are more stigmatized than ever "It is by the French public opinion, and they are being pressed more to isolate themselves from society. On the other hand, it is this kind of law - the most rowdy - that will weaken and distort the legislation."

"Is the next step to add a special section of" veiled women "in the Civil Code? What are the implications of passing this kind of law? We are talking about it on behalf of the rights holders, without knowing who they are, what they are living and what they are living. The Republic is so scared and not convinced to question the loyalty of its citizens because of one or two meters of cloth on the head? "

Secularism .. Many explanations
On October 11, Julian Odol, president of the group of the far-right National Assembly of the Bourgogne Franche-Comté region, asked the district president to remove the veil from a woman accompanying children, including her son, at the council meeting. This video caused a sensation in the media.

"The hijab phobia that swept France after accompanying a veiled woman for a school trip unjustified and fabricated by politicians who do not have a vision to solve deep problems in their country," said the human rights activist Magda Mahfouz. A fake issue dominates the French ideas to distract them from the real issues. "

Magda adds, "This time, they came out with educated women who are committed to the constitution of the state, which recognized all French people, including Muslims, the freedom of clothing. Dressed in accordance with the laws and the constitution. "

In 2016, before declaring himself a presidential candidate, Macron expressed his vision of the concept of secularism.``In our country, everyone is free to practice or not to practice religion, at the level of intensity he wants, because secularism is freedom before it is banned, '' he said.

Some members of Edward Philippe's government saw this as tearing our "values", while others criticized the "French obsession" with the hijab and Islam in general.

Three college girls
Laila, Fatima, and Samira pushed the debate on the concept of secularism to the forefront in the media and political scenes when they stopped studying at Gabriel Hads College in October 1989, at the request of the faculty director, who considered the hijab a religious sign incompatible with Hassan. "Our goal is to reduce the excessive appearance of any religious or cultural affiliation," he said.

Several human rights groups, including SOS Racisme, demanded the return of the students to the college. "It is not possible to impose a penalty on students because of their religious affiliation," she said.

Nearly a month after the case began, an agreement was reached to grant the students the right to wear the hijab once they leave the classroom and remove it before entering.

Education Minister Jean-Michel Blancer confirmed opposition to the decision, which is unlikely to be voted on under the same terms by the National Assembly, which is dominated by the presidential majority.