France's Macron reignites Muslim headscarf row
The issue has been in
the news in recent weeks since a far-right politician objected to a mother
wearing a headscarf who was accompanying a school trip to a regional assembly
meeting. The move came a day after two elderly men were seriously injured in a
shooting attack at a mosque in the southern city of Bayonne. A suspect with a
far-right background is in custody.
The bill also needs to
be approved by the National Assembly, to enter into effect.
But as the ruling
party, the Republic on the Move — which has a majority in the national assembly
— is against the bill, it is unlikely that the bill will be approved.
France has the largest
Muslim minority in Europe, estimated at 5 million or more out of a population
of 67 million. The place of religion and religious symbols worn in public can
be a matter of controversy in the staunchly secular country. For years, rights
groups have argued that France's secular laws foster Islamophobia and
discriminate against Muslim women. France banned schoolchildren from wearing
religiously distinctive clothing or emblems in 2004, after controversy over
Muslim schoolgirls wearing headscarves.
France was the first
country in Europe to ban Islamic face veils, such as the burqa and the niqab,
in public places in 2010. In 2014, the European Court of Human Rights upheld
the ban but said the law could appear excessive and encourage stereotyping.
France was also embroiled in a row over bans on the burkini, a full-body
Islamic swimsuit, in resorts around the Riviera. Since then, French Muslims
have growing concerns, saying that decisions taken by some municipal
authorities to ban the burkini could lead to the further stigmatization of
Muslims.
