French Muslim Council: Abaya Not a Religious Symbol in Schools Debate

"We have the right to question the authority that, in our secular Republic, has decreed that the abaya is a Muslim religious symbol. For us, this garment is not one," the CFCM said in a statement released on Monday, denouncing "yet another debate on Islam and Muslims with its share of stigmatization".

And to specify: "In the Muslim tradition that we defend, a garment whatever it is, is not a religious symbol in itself. It is enough to go through the predominantly Muslim countries to realize that the citizens of these countries, of all faiths, are not distinguishable by the clothes they wear".

The organization reminds the "very rare" cases of children who still do not respect the 2004 law banning the wearing of visible religious symbols, that "their religiosity is not a product or an object of advertising, nor a banner or a slogan of demonstrations".

According to a circular from the Ministry of National Education published in November, abayas can be banned if they are "worn in a way that ostensibly manifests a religious affiliation". The Forum of Islam in France (FORIF), the new interlocutor of the public authorities on the Muslim cult, has not yet spoken on the subject.