French education minister has announced a major change in the dress code for school students, especially those Muslim girls who are wearing abaya, BBC reported. Notably, Abaya is an Arabic term for a long, loose outer garment. It is worn by both men and women.
According to the minister Gabriel Attal, when a student enters into the classroom, her dress code should not exhibit religion. He said that the new rulings will be followed from September 4.
Notably, France's state-run schools have already strict laws against any religious symbols on buildings or government buildings, arguing it violates secular laws.
"When you walk into a classroom, you shouldn't be able to identify the pupils' religion just by looking at them. I have decided that the abaya could no longer be worn in schools," BBC quoted the minister as saying to France's TF1 TV.
Left parties voice concerns
According to the report, the garment has been a popular dress code among Muslim girls but right-wing politicians have been voicing concerns saying it violates the fundamentals of secularism. On the other hand, the left parties claimed the decision could have a deep impact on the students.
"Secularism means the freedom to emancipate oneself through school," Mr Attal told TF1, arguing the abaya is "a religious gesture, aimed at testing the resistance of the republic toward the secular sanctuary that school must constitute."
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