Muslim Women in France Face Growing Pressure Over Hijab Amid Renewed Debates

It is Le Parisien who went to meet these women who wear the Islamic veil.

"As a woman, we already have to be vigilant. With the veil, it’s doubled. [...]. But with each controversy, the veil is heavier to bear," says Sarah, 19, a student in a Psychology Bachelor’s degree in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine).

She is saddened by the fact that politicians prefer to talk about the veil rather than being questioned about the real problems in society.

For Zouna, 55, a municipal employee specialized in a nursery school in Paris, "the climate is worse than before. Now everything is mixed up. [...]. Today, there are a bit embarrassing, sometimes even nasty, looks in the metro".

For her part, Hind, 22, a student in a Sociology Master’s degree in Lyon, says she prepares her self-defense every time she goes for a walk. "At one point, I even had a small tear gas bomb on me. I’m tired of being afraid all the time. But if I take off my veil, then I would really be submissive," she recounts.

Sabrina, 54, originally from Algeria, lives in Paris. She remembers the big exclamations of her neighbor when she started wearing the veil just two years ago.

"All these controversies may have encouraged me to wear the veil. You know, often the forbidden attracts," confides Safia, 37, a saleswoman living in Paris with her husband and three children.

"It’s on social networks that we feel the most discrimination. We see the rise of far-right radicals. They no longer hide. Everyone loudly proclaims that he is racist and that the Muslim woman is submissive. It would be to deny our free will and reduce us to the status of things..." estimates, for her part, Inès, 21, a student in a 3rd year English degree in Lille.

*Le Parisien has changed some first names