French Education Minister has announced that the traditional clothing known as Abaya will be banned in schools, arguing the garment violated France’s strict secular laws in education. “It will no longer be possible to wear an Abaya at school,” Education Minister Gabriel Attal, saying he would give “clear rules at the national level” to school heads ahead of the return to classes nationwide from September 4.
The move comes after months of debate over the wearing of Abayas in French schools, where women have long been banned from wearing the Islamic headscarf.
In March 2004, a law was enacted that banned “the wearing of signs or outfits by which students ostensibly show a religious affiliation” in schools. This includes large crosses, Jewish kippas, and Islamic headscarves. Unlike headscarves, Abayas, a long, baggy garment worn to comply with Islamic beliefs on modest dress — occupied a grey area and had faced no outright ban until now.
