French President Emmanuel Macron has opened the door to experimenting in some public schools with uniforms amid the ban on long robes, worn mainly by Muslims.
The robes known as abayas, an Arabic term for a long, loose outer garment for girls and women, and khamis for boys and men were banned, effective Monday (September 4), to stop the exhibition of religion through the dress in public schools.
Macron said he is in favour of “experimenting" with uniforms in order to “inform public debate,” speaking in a live interview on online media HugoDecrypte, broadcasted on Youtube and TikTok.
The President said that another experimental option for children could be to wear similar outfits, such as “a pair of jeans, a T-shirt and a jacket.”
“We certainly can have things that are more acceptable to teenagers (than uniforms). “It may seem a little less strict from a disciplinary point of view,” Macron said.
The President’s centrist comments came after some conservative and far-right politicians voiced support for the need for uniforms in public schools.
However, Macron did not give any details regarding the start and location of the experiment. Notably, uniforms are required for students in some private schools.
Macron reaffirmed that authorities would be “intractable” in enforcing the new rule about long robes in public schools, which were seen as a challenge to France's secularist values. He said that the school must remain a neutral place.
“School is secular and that means there's no room for religious signs. We must talk, we must explain (the measure). But I think it's very important because school must remain a neutral place," he said.
The new rule has drawn criticism from across the country as some people argued that the loose garments covering the body did not constitute an ostentatious display of religion and therefore should not be banned from classrooms.
The framework for the ban is a 2004 law aimed at preserving secularism in French public schools.
According to the law, Muslims are prohibited from wearing headscarves, and Christians are also not allowed to put on large Christian crosses. The law also bans Jewish kippas and the large turbans worn by Sikhs.
It passed after months of furor and marathon parliamentary debates. Some Muslims claimed it stigmatized them. The law does not apply to university students.
(With AP inputs)
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