A Muslim woman wearing a hijab near the Eiffel Tower in France (Reuters)

France

- French activists and politicians reacted on social media platforms to the Prime Minister’s announcement that a judicial complaint had been filed against a student at Maurice Raval High School, under the pretext that she accused her school principal of harassment after she asked her to remove her hijab.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said during an interview with TF1, "The state will file a complaint for defamation against the student who threatened the principal of Maurice Ravel Secondary School."

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He continued, "The state will always stand with these officials, who are on the front line in confronting these violations of secularism and attempts to introduce Islam into our educational institutions."

"These are our principals, teachers and all national education employees... and I want to pay tribute to them," Atal added.

The Public Prosecution in Paris announced the rejection of the high school student’s complaint against the school principal, who accused her of assaulting her during the incident. The Prime Minister also explained that the student had dropped out of high school.

@GabrielAttal

▶️ #LE20H @GillesBouleau pic.twitter.com/kUpIfCNEG0

— TF1Info (@TF1Info) March 27, 2024

Activists considered it unfortunate for the state to intervene in this way towards a minor student, and Atal directly linked wearing the hijab to committing terrorist acts, according to what some said.

Activist Rafik Shaqat wrote on his account on X: “A prime minister against a minor student! In addition, he directly links wearing the hijab to terrorism.”

The chef of the restaurant contains a mine! This will prevent the Premier Minister from entering a direct port of corruption and terrorism. Add CNEWS to the text. https://t.co/SiTzZ3pqZV

— Rafik Chekkat (@r_chekkat) March 27, 2024

Activist Hakim Addad wrote sarcastically on his X account, “If we fail to wage war against Putin, we will wage it against children. This is still enough to feed and serve the extreme right.”

It was difficult to put the guerre to Poutine, on the other side of the game. Encore the right choice and serve the outside world. https://t.co/mZE0oSVus0

- Addad Hakim - Hakim Addad (@addaddhakimnidha) March 27, 2024

Blogger Farah lamented, saying, “National education is collapsing, there is a shortage of teachers, and schools are in a deplorable state, but the government decided to fight it against a student...”

The national educational institution, the master of the professors, the children of his children and the children who have the ability to do so may be the subject of a study that leads to the death of the battery… https://t.co/QD3tgEoAs5

- Farah 🦦 (@arabprodigy15) March 27, 2024

The head of the Maurice Ravel school in eastern Paris resigned after allegedly receiving death threats online following an altercation with a veiled student last month, officials told AFP.

The beginning of the crisis

On February 28, three female students were asked to remove their hijab in the school building, but one of them refused and a quarrel broke out, according to prosecutors.

According to a letter sent by the school to teachers, students and parents, the school principal resigned “for security reasons,” while education officials said she had requested early retirement.

In a letter addressed to school staff, reported by the French communist daily newspaper L'Humanité, the principal said she had made the decision to leave "for her safety and the safety of the school."

It should be noted that the student in question had denied everything the media reported regarding her case, denouncing in the same context her resort to falsifying facts.

Laws banning the hijab in schools

In 2004, French authorities banned schoolchildren from wearing "signs or clothing by which students show their religious affiliation" such as the hijab or turban on the basis of the country's secular laws.

Last September, Gabriel Attal, Minister of Education at the time, issued a decision banning the wearing of the abaya in schools, under the pretext that it is a garment that conflicts with the principles of secularism in the country.

“The principle of secularism assumes the state’s neutrality towards all students, regardless of their beliefs,” Minister Atal wrote, noting “the inadmissibility of wearing abayas and shirts in schools.”

French President Emmanuel Macron supported the decision by saying, “The school is secular from kindergarten to the baccalaureate, and there is no place for religious symbols.”

It is noteworthy that Article 2 of Education Law No. 141 states that “the state guarantees the right of children and adolescents to public educational institutions and the possibility of receiving education appropriate to their abilities with equal respect for all beliefs.”

Another article states that “public higher education is secular and independent of any political, economic, religious or ideological influence, and respects diversity of opinions.”

Source: Al Jazeera