News and Analysis on Islam in Europe and North America
By Elaine Ganley PARIS – A powerful Islamic organization alleged Thursday that officials were abusing a law banning religious symbols from schools by expelling Muslim girls who were wearing printed bandannas, not Islamic head scarves. The head of the Union of Islamic Organizations of France urged girls expelled for wearing bandannas to take their cases
The president of the Association of Friends of the Moroccan Town, Mohamed Alami, has published an open letter directed to the Spanish Government, the political parties and the different institutions and organizations in which he denounces the entrance in Spain of questionable imams that are harming the Muslims in Spain. El presidente de la Asociaci_n
50% of the 182 listed cases between October 2003 and August 2004 are in L’Ile-de-France and Alsace. A collective against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) made public on October 21 a first attempt at counting of the “islamophobic acts”. This collective of about fifteen members wrote a report for the period active from October to August.
Three teenagers were excluded, Wednesday October 20, from their schools for non-observance of the law on the secularity of March 15, 2004. The day before, two schoolgirls of Mulhouse were expelled, the first time since the law prohibiting the open religious signs in schools came into force.
They join two girls expelled on Tuesday – one of whom told a French newspaper it had destroyed her life. The expulsions came as the education ministry gave schools the go-ahead to begin proceedings against 72 students who have refused to obey the law.