French vote in favor of hijab ban condemned
Tellingly, a bid by the French Senate to ban girls under 18 from wearing the head scarf or hijab in public has drawn condemnation, with the hashtag #HandsOffMyHijab circulating widely on social media, Al Jazeera reported last month.
The French Senate's move comes as part of Paris's push to introduce a so-called "anti-separatism" bill which it says aims to bolster the country's secular system, but critics have denounced, arguing it singles out the minority Muslim population.
On March 30, senators approved an amendment to the bill calling for the "prohibition in the public space of any conspicuous religious sign by minors and of any dress or clothing which would signify inferiority of women over men".
The ban is not yet law, with France's National Assembly required to sign off on the change before it can take effect. But a backlash to the amendment was swift, with some suggesting the proposed rule amounted to a "law against Islam".
It isn't a law against the hijab. It's a law against Islam. #Handsoffmyhijab #FranceHijabBan," one Twitter user wrote.
On Instagram, Olympic athlete Ibtihaj Muhammad shared a post suggesting the Senate's amendment indicated "Islamophobia is deepening in France".
"This is what happens when you normalize anti-Islamic and anti-Muslim hate speech, bias, discrimination, and hate crimes - Islamophobia written into law," the post said.
Amnesty International has warned the proposed law posed a "serious attack on rights and freedoms in France" and called for "many problematic provisions" of the bill to be scrapped or amended.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
