France's top administrative court backs ban on abaya in schools

France's highest administrative court on Thursday ruled in favour of a school ban imposed on traditional over-garments worn by some Muslim women, called abayas.

Terming the ban as legal, it rejected complaints of it being discriminatory and said that it would not incite hatred against the community.

French government last month announced a ban on abaya in schools saying that it violated the rules on secularism in education.

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The headscarves worn by the Muslim community have already been banned ongrounds that they constitute a display of religious affiliation.

An association representing the Muslim community had filed a motion with the State Council, which is France's highest court for complaints, against state authorities, over a demand against the ban on the abaya and the qamis, its equivalent dress for men, stating that the ban was discriminatory and could incite hatred against Muslims.

However, the State Council, after examining the motion, rejected the arguments. stating that wearing the abaya "follows the logic of religious affirmation".

It added that the decision was based on French law which did not allow anyone wearing visible signs of any religious affiliation in schools.

It said that the ban by the government did not cause "serious or obviously illegal harm to the respect for personal lives, freedom of religion, the right to education, the well-being of children or the principle of non-discrimination".

Schools send home girls for refusing to remove abayas

Earlier this week, dozens of girls were sent back home by French schools for refusing to remove their abayas.

Education minister Gabriel Attal told the BFM broadcaster on Tuesday (September 5) that nearly 300 girls showed up Monday morning (Sep 4) wearing an abaya, defying a ban on the Muslim dress.

The minister said that most agreed to change out of the dress, but 67 refused and were sent home.

Attal said the girls refused entry were given a letter addressed to their families saying that "secularism is not a constraint, it is a liberty".

The minister said that if they showed up at school again wearing the dress, there would be a "new dialogue".

Late on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron defended the measure, saying there was a "minority" in France who "hijack a religion and challenge the republic and secularism", leading to the "worst consequences" such as the murder three years ago of teacher Samuel Paty for showing Prophet Mohamed caricatures during a civics education class.

"We cannot act as if the terrorist attack, the murder of Samuel Paty, had not happened," he said in an interview with YouTube channel HugoDecrypte.

(With inputs from agencies)

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