French public schools will ban girls from wearing abayas, the traditional dress of Muslim women.
This was stated by the Minister of Education of the country, Gabriel Attal, on the eve of the academic year, Reuters notes.
“I have decided that the abaya can no longer be worn in schools. We want it to be impossible to determine the religious beliefs of a student by their appearance when entering the classroom,” he explained.
In the 19th century, a strict ban on religious symbols in public schools was introduced, which extended to Muslims as well. In 2004, in France it was forbidden to wear headscarves in schools, in 2010 – hijabs in public places.
