More than a decade after imposing hijab ban in France, Muslims in the European country complained that the ban has given "cover" to acts of discrimination against their community.
Hijab Ban Encourages Bias: French Muslims
28 May 2015 - 13:47
More than a decade after imposing hijab ban in France, Muslims in the European country complained that the ban has given "cover" to acts of discrimination against their community.
“What did we do wrong?” a Muslim child asked his mother after being barred from entering the inflatable toys on a temporary beach near Paris, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, May 27.
The mother of the 9-year-old child, Malek Layouni, was recounting how she felt humiliated when local officials blocked her path to the amusement site for wearing the Islamic head attire
Turned away in front of friends and neighbors, Layouni still has no answer for her son's question.
In 2004, France banned Muslims from wearing hijab, an obligatory code of dress for Muslims, in public places. Several European countries followed the French example.
France also outlawed the wearing of face-veil in public in 2011.
Besides the current bans, several politicians have called for extending the prohibition of the Islamic veil to jobs, educational institutions and community life.
Debates surrounding the Islamic veil have resurfaces recently, backed by Paris attacks that left 17 killed, including two Muslims.
Critics of hijab ban argued that the calls for new anti-hijab measures would encourage more bias against Muslims in general and veiled women in particular.
They also claimed that further restrictions would foster radicalization and increasing the gap between Muslims & non-Muslims.
The situation for French Muslims has been deteriorating recently, especially after January’s Charlie Hebdo attack.
In April, the National Observatory Against Islamophobia warned of an unprecedented increase in Islamophobic attacks in France during the first three months of 2015, rising by six-fold than in 2014.
Islamophobic actions soared by 500% compared to the same period in 2011, according to the observatory.
The National Observatory Against Islamophobia said over 100 incidents have been reported to the police since the Charlie Hebdo attacks of January 7-9.
The observatory also noted that more than 222 separate acts of anti-Muslim behavior were recorded in the first month after the January attacks
Story Code: 193082