- In September 2019, a Roubaisian student was excluded from a boxing class for refusing to take off her headscarf.
- The University of Lille agreed with the young woman to the extent that no law or regulation prevents a student from wearing a veil.
- The Collective against Islamophobia in France believes that this problem is underestimated within French universities.
"My person was brought down to a piece of cloth." A few months after being ousted from a sports class, Assma remains marked by this episode of discrimination. The University of Lille ended up apologizing to this student. But this kind of incident is far from isolated in French universities, according to the Collective against Islamophobia in France (CCIF).
In September 2019, Assma decides to practice boxing as a sport option. A dream for this 23-year-old Roubaisienne, registered in History license. The first contact with the sports teacher went very badly. The young woman wears a scarf, which has the gift of irritating the teacher.
"I don't take a veil, you take off your veil"
"He told me brutally in front of everyone:" I don't take a veil, you take off your veil "without taking the time to discuss it with me. Wearing a scarf is part of my culture, it is not necessarily linked to religious convictions. I was shocked by her reaction, which can also be considered sexist, ”she explains to 20 Minutes .
The teacher then pretends to be hygiene and safety reasons. What Assma disputes: “We sweat more from the hands with the boxing gloves than from the head with a turban. The gloves are shared by several students without worrying about hygiene. "
Deprived of boxing, the student requests mediation and contacts the legal department of the university, with the help of the Collective against Islamophobia in France (CCIF). Indeed, this rejection of the veil is not based on any law or regulation. The wearing of the headscarf is completely authorized at the university where the students are adults.
Official apologies
Clearly, the exclusion from the course was discriminatory, which will later be recognized by the university management by officially apologizing to Assma in January 2020.
Contacted by 20 Minutes , the first vice-president of the university, Nicolas Postel, confirms the "error of appreciation" of prof. “An internal memo has been sent to remind the law. I think that this problem, which I hope is marginal, will not happen again, ”he admits.
Too late to re-enroll in boxing class, but Assma's initiative has broken the law of silence. "Five other people, victims of such discriminatory acts at the university, were identified by the Unef union which helped me in my efforts," she said.
"It excludes girls who want to study"
The CCIF considers that this problem is underestimated within French universities. “Denying these young girls the right to wear a veil is an Islamophobic act. And 70% of the Islamophobic acts identified affect women. It stigmatizes, it hurts and it excludes girls who want to study. However, often, they prefer to keep quiet so as not to make waves, ”says Jawad Bachare, director of the CCIF.
The latter also remembers another controversy, also born in Lille: “Students had to remove their scarves to take a picture of their student card. However, this card is not an official document. So there was no reason. ”
Since September 2019, the CCIF has processed, at the national level, twelve files concerning the wearing of the headscarf or the veil in universities and thirteen in the Nursing Training Institutes (IFSI).
“France is losing in attractiveness. "
"France is losing in attractiveness with these restrictions which are not legal," says a professor from Lille who wishes to remain anonymous. Many female students, especially foreign ones, prefer to study in other countries because of this false secularism that is imposed on them. "
The university management has nevertheless taken measures to "facilitate the feedback of information to the 80,000 students", explains Nicolas Postel. A quick contact number has been set up to report any discrimination and posters “Respect women and their choice” have been posted in the corridors for a few weeks.
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- University
- Boxing
- Lille
- Islamophobia
- Discrimination