Eyewitnesses confirmed the violence of the humiliating scene in which a Paris high school student who came to take the French high school exam on June 16 said that she was subjected to it by an educational official who did not accept her coming veiled, and delayed her entry until she missed the start of the exam.
With this incident, the French Mediapart website started an article by Najma Ibrahim, in which she followed up on the subject of discrimination against the 18-year-old student, Sabrina (a pseudonym), when the educational official in her secondary school told her in front of the door, “Put this thing off your head,” referring to The hijab she was wearing, and although the student quickly complied as confirmed by several witnesses interviewed, is still being denied entry to the institution, insisting that what she was subjected to constituted an "assault" by the official.
Sabrina - who is still affected by the events - said when she spoke to Mediapart that the official met her "in harsh language and in an unfriendly tone", although she is used to going to her school with the hijab and taking it off at the entrance, to wear it again when leaving, and indeed "when I arrived I removed it without discussion as soon as you asked me so unfriendly."
However, the educational official became more "aggressive" - according to Sabrina, who admits that she is nervous because of the exam awaiting her - and she "pushed me and put me aside, and allowed the other candidates to enter, saying that she would take care of my case after that, and I did not understand what was happening to me because I no longer wore the hijab." So I said that I am a student like the others and that I should take the exam as well, but she did not allow me to enter.”
Although the site contacted the educational official and the general director of the secondary school, they did not answer his questions until the time of publishing this article. As for the Paris Academy, it took refuge in the principles of secularism, considering that the student refused to take off her veil in violation of the established arrangements, and despite reminding the school staff present to her of those laws.
The academy added that "the girl's refusal led to a tense discussion before the candidate finally agreed to take off her veil and be escorted to the exam room, explaining that the problem was immediately addressed by the institution that communicated with the original high school and the girl's family, stressing that it is firmly committed to respecting the values of secularism." ".
school employee
However, a member of the educational staff confirmed to the French website that Sabrina never refused to take off her veil, as confirmed by the "aggression" shown by the chancellor, saying, "When the girl presented her veil, she started screaming and asked her to remove the "thing" from her head. She could have told her So kindly."
The employee explained that the girl took off the veil in a second, "but the official did not abandon the case and did not want to let her in. She started insulting her and talking badly to her, adding that this is not the first time that the official had tantrums, and made disgusting arguments to crush any student You find a weakness.
A merchant is interfering
At the time when all the candidates entered at two o'clock in the afternoon with the beginning of the exam, Sabrina tried again with the educational official, feeling "deprived" due to the time she was losing, but the woman "responded that she did not care" and then tried to talk to an observer, noting that She no longer wears the hijab, but the official was threatening not to let her take the exam.
The owner of a small clothing store 100 meters from the institution says that she saw “a person being humiliated and facing a torrent of bad words. I saw a student standing at the entrance to the school, frozen and alone, and a woman inside the institution screaming at her.” She added that she intervened because she saw it as her duty, as She saw the behavior of the official inappropriate, stressing that the student upon her arrival was not wearing the veil.
"Fortunately, the shop owner came to my defense and asked this lady how she could disrespect a female student in front of everyone, then she forced the official to lower her voice, and after 45 minutes, I was asked to follow the official in the school corridors and then wait, without a clear explanation," Sabrina says. Until someone outside the school intervened to help solve the situation.
After that, the educational official from the student’s original school called Sabrina’s parents to warn them, then handed her her summons and “she asked me to go to take the exam, then promised me to spoil my life. However, the supervisor who accompanied me to the room apologized to me, saying that she found the official’s actions” shameful, so I cried before entering the room Exam directly.
I didn't want to lose face in front of the official, but when the supervisor apologized to me, I collapsed."
Sabrina - who took the exam while wondering about her future - added that she left the place at the end of the ordeal "without any consideration or any form of apology" by the administration, "as if nothing had happened, even though I insulted the public arena, trampled on my rights, and underestimated about my religious beliefs and they hindered me during the baccalaureate,” adding that she still at least has the support of her parents.
This story - which was reported by Sabrina's friend on Twitter despite the deletion of the tweets - sparked controversy on social networking sites, and caused a division between two sects, one of which defends the girl, believing that she was a victim of injustice and Islamophobia, and the other, fueled by extreme right-wing networks in particular. The educator is right.
The writer pointed out that the last vision was adopted by the former presidential candidate, Eric Zemmour, and demanded in a tweet that the educational official "accused of Islamophobia" be "under legal protection", considering that she is "in danger."