The French government’s decision to ban children from wearing the abaya, the loose-fitting, full-length robes worn by some Muslim women, in state-run schools drew applause on Monday from the right, but also criticism.

  • Takapapatapaka@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    The main problem with this subject is that the abaya is not a religious clothing strictly speaking. It is not enforced by any muslim sacred text, a lot of muslim women do not wear it, whereas non-muslim women wear it. It is rather typical from the arabic culture than from the muslim religion (it originated from bedouin culture in the first place).

    Here in France people are mad about secularism because of an old hate of Christian Church, but nowadays it is rather used to discriminate jews and muslims. (At school, yarmulke and headscarf are banned, but christian crosses are allowed if they’re not too big. Every day i saw people in school with christian crosses around the neck or as earrings, and no one bothered them, while they were harassing girls with a headscarf.)

    Imo here the government is just creating a new debate on a stupid question, just to scare people about muslims and give hard right politicians a bone to chew, as they always do. While everyone talks and is afraid about what teenagers could wear, people talk less about the other laws they are passing, for having more control over Internet or whatever they want.

    • Magnor@lemmy.magnor.ovh
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      1 year ago

      Yeah this is exactly what is happening. Use this as a talking point while the country rots from the inside thanks to Macron’s antisocial and ecocidal policies.

      • gbzm@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Being ashamed of our nakedness and wearing clothes to hide it is a punishment from God for eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge. I guess clothes are part of the religious liturgy of all abrahamic religions…

  • Dr. Moose@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Children shouldn’t have to uphold any religion imo. It’s tough here though as it’s also their freedom to wear whatever so I don’t think that ban is the best way to approach this issue here.

    • A_Toasty_Strudel@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      This is correct. Even if we don’t necessarily agree with why they’re choosing to wear it, saying that they’re outright not able to is completely unacceptable.

      • TheBlue22@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        They are not choosing shit. They are being forced to wear them by their parents. It’s indoctrination and abuse

        • Andy@slrpnk.net
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          1 year ago

          This is dumb. I grew up going to a mainstream private Jewish school. We had to wear yarmulkes.

          Every child grows up in the guidance of parents, and everyone thinks someone’s lifestyle is abuse. Did you parents feed you meat? Yes? That’s abuse. No? That’s abuse.

            • Andy@slrpnk.net
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              1 year ago

              The point was about indoctrination.

              You can’t call a Muslim upbringing indoctrination unless you also call Jewish, Christian, and secular agnostic upbringings indoctrination too. Which might be true, but then you’re just describing parenting.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    1 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    PARIS, Aug 28 (Reuters) - The French government’s decision to ban children from wearing the abaya, the loose-fitting, full-length robes worn by some Muslim women, in state-run schools drew applause on Monday from the right, but also criticism.

    France has enforced a ban on religious symbols in state schools since 2004, to uphold its strict brand of secularism, known as “laicite”.

    “Our schools are continually put under test, and over the past months, breaches to laicite have increased considerably, in particular with (pupils) wearing religious attire like abayas and kameez,” Education Minister Gabriel Attal told a news conference to explain Sunday’s ban.

    The SNPDEN-UNSA union of school principals welcomed the decision, saying what it needed above all was clarity from the government, its national secretary, Didier Georges, told Reuters.

    They will, once again, feel stigmatised," said sociologist Agnes De Feo, who has been researching French women wearing niqab for the past decade.

    Riffi said there was a wider fashion trend among female high school students, who buy long dresses and kimonos online.


    The original article contains 510 words, the summary contains 172 words. Saved 66%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!