A group gathered in front of the French Embassy protests against the ban on abaya (long dress) in schools in France in Vienna, Austria on September 16, 2023

French policies banning Hijabs and Abayas draw outrage at home and abroad

France’s Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera announced on 3rd September 2023  on France 3 that athletes representing France will be barred from wearing hijabs or other religious symbols while competing at the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.1  The minister stated that the ban upholds France’s principle of “strict secularism” or  “la laïcité,” in sports and…

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French Supreme Court Upholds Hijab Ban in Football Games: Another Affront to Religious Freedom

On Thursday, 29th June 2023, the Council of State (Conseil d’Etat) the highest administrative court in France, upheld a ban on Muslim women football players wearing hijab during all matches organized by the  French Football Federation (FFF).[fn]https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/top-french-court-upholds-ban-wearing-hijab-during-soccer-games-2023-06-29/[/fn]   The case was brought before the Council of State on 26th June 2023. [fn]https://www.marianne.net/societe/laicite-et-religions/port-du-hijab-dans-le-foot-le-conseil-detat-denonce-des-attaques-contre-lindependance-de-la-justice [/fn]  after the…

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French Preacher Expulsion: What it means for Religious Freedom

On Tuesday 30th August, The Council of State (France’s highest administrative court) has agreed to the expulsion of Imam Hassan Iquioussen to Morocco. Citing the ruling by the Council, Gérald Darmanin (Interior Minister) tweeted that Hassan Iquioussen “will be expelled from the national territory” in what he considers to be “a great victory for the…

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French Republican Values “Threatened by the Burkini”: Is The June 21 Ruling A Turning Point?

France’s Council of State, the country’s top administrative court, ruled on June 21 against allowing swimmers to wear “burkini” swimwear – a swimsuit used by some Muslim women to cover their bodies and hair – in Grenoble’s public swimming pools. The top court argued that allowing the burkini would violate France’s principle of neutrality on…

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Rule of Law and the State-Sponsored Repression of Islam in France

“’We are Beginning to Spread Terror: The State-Sponsored Persecutions of Muslims in France” is the latest report to be produced by CAGE, an independent advocacy organisation that works to empower communities impacted by the War on Terror policies worldwide1. Authored by French legal Jurist and Cage researcher Rayan Freschi, it is considered a “first-of-its-kind”2  report that…

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