French state schools refuse entry to dozens of female students in Muslim abayas

(Patria) - The French Minister of Education said that nearly 300 female students arrived at school on Monday wearing abayas, a long Muslim dress that was banned in schools last week.

Most of the girls agreed to change into other clothes, the BBC reported.

According to official data, 298 girls - mostly aged 15 or older - appeared at school in the banned attire. Following instructions from the ministry, a period of dialogue with school staff ensued in each case. Most of the girls then agreed to dress differently and were able to start classes.

However, 67 girls refused to comply and were sent home. A further period of dialogue with their families will now follow. If this fails, they will be excluded.

Compared to the 12 million boys and girls who started term on Monday, the government believes the figures show its ban is widely accepted. However, a legal challenge by a group representing some Muslims has begun.

At the end of August, the Minister of Education announced that students would be banned from wearing
long, loose-fitting dresses worn by some Muslim women in French state schools at the start of the new school year on September 4.

France has a strict ban on religious symbols in state schools and government buildings, arguing that they violate secular laws. Wearing headscarves has been banned since 2004 in state schools.

This move comes after months of debate over the wearing of abayas in French schools.

Such clothing has become increasingly common in schools, leading to political division over them, with
right-wing parties advocating for a ban, while those on the left have expressed concern for the rights of Muslim women and girls.

In 2010, France banned the wearing of full-face veils in public, which caused outrage in the French Muslim community of five million people.

France has imposed a strict ban on religious signs in schools since the 19th century, including
Christian symbols such as large crosses, in an effort to curb any Catholic influence on public education. Over the years, it has updated the law to include the Muslim headscarf and the Jewish kippah, but abayas have not been completely banned until now.