Pupils will be banned from wearing abayas, loose-fitting full-length robes worn by some Muslim women, in France’s state-run schools, the education minister has said.

The rule will be applied as soon as the new school year starts on 4 September.

France has a strict ban on religious signs in state schools and government buildings, arguing that they violate secular laws.

Wearing a headscarf has been banned since 2004 in state-run schools.

  • jerd@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Religious freedom is a human right. Self determination is a human right. As long as whatever you do does not cause a negative impact on other people (see the second right) or society at large, then gtfo.

    • gnygnygny@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      There is no “second right” in France. The law is simple : Don’t wear visible religious sign at school. There are private religious schools if you disagree with the public system.

      • bric@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Is it so insane to think there could be a school with both religious and areligious people at the same time? A secular school that doesn’t support a religion, but allows students to express themselves how they choose? When did that become a radical idea?

        • gnygnygny@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          It’s not insane, but this separation has been done in 1905. In France the state is separated from the church (and by extension the religious). It’s not radical it takes roots in the principle of equality.

          • bric@lemm.ee
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            1 year ago

            Separation of church and state is always a good thing, I’m not arguing against that, but this feels like a whole different level. If anything, this is the state taking an active role in changing the rules of the church. That’s not separation, that’s state sponsored atheism

            • gnygnygny@lemm.ee
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              1 year ago

              The public schools are the one from the state. Those one are separate from the church. But everybody can go tothe private schools those can be religious or not.

              That’s secularism, not atheism.

        • smollittlefrog@lemdro.id
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          1 year ago

          Students should express themselves how they choose.

          That’s why you protect them from indoctination/religion forcing a certain outfit upon them.

    • Estebiu@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      1 year ago

      “Self determination is a human right” There’s nothing I agree more on. Unfortunately some muslim communities do not agree, and the men and the women aren’t on the same level. Many women are forced to port the abaya and other vests that cover their figure in entirety, and I don’t think they should be forced to if they don’t want to. 85% of the muslim women in France that I know do not want to port it, but they’re obligated by their family. Banning it entirely is not the perfect solution, but it’s a step in the the direction of eradicating religions in France. The time of Christianity and Islam is way beyond us.

      • Lols [they/them]@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        i like the slow stumble from “self-determination is a human right” to “eradicating religions in france”

        “85% of the muslim women in france ᵗʰᵃᵗ ᶦ ᵏⁿᵒʷ” really adds to the experience too, thank you

        • Estebiu@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          1 year ago

          Yeah, sorry, I didn’t exprime myself correctly here. Let me rephrase it:

          If you want to be christian or muslim, please be, I don’t have nothing against you. But I’m not ok with parents forcing their religion down the throats of their kids.

          And, let’s face it, religion it’s at an all time low, especially with newer generations like mine, and I don’t like how boomers force their kids to “go to church”, “dress in a certain manner”, ecc, when the kids don’t even believe.

          • SCB@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Parents get to raise their kids. For instance, your parents raised you to believe that stripping someone’s rights protects their rights.

            They were wrong to do that, but they get to do that

            • Estebiu@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              1 year ago

              My parents are Catholics, and it’s also for that that I’ve begun disliking religions altogether.

              Is banning dresses at a state-level a thing that shouldn’t ever happen? Yes.

              Do I agree with the banning of a robe that strips women of their identity? Still yes.

              We humans are contradictory existencies

              • SCB@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                Lol I like to joke that nothing turns you against Catholicism (or religion in general) like growing up Catholic.

                I’m a hardliner on freedom and (safe) expression, full stop, but I def get where you’re coming from.

    • Aux@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      You can practice your religion inside your home. Once you’re out in public you should respect others and hide your religion away. This is the way!

      • Darthjaffacake@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Not having to hide who you are is a human right, I get where stuff like this is coming from but if there was a rule to hide all symbols of sexualities to protect people it’d become pretty obvious that it’s homophobic. Being able to exist in public shouldn’t require making changes to yourself.

      • Flyswat@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        1 year ago

        I don’t deny that there are occurrences where some girls are forced. What about the 95% others?

        You can’t put forth a law punishing the majority for a “likely”. What happened to the “Liberté Egalité Fraternité” which this liberticide law is obviously trampling?

        The population has been fed the islamophobic narrative long enough to have such laws pass without anybody thinking about how ridiculous they are (replace hijab/abaya with dreadlocks or other piece of clothing… What do other people care?). The divide is so deep and constantly maintained by the politicians who, since they find no real answers the actual problems plaguing the day to day life of citizen, prefer to turn them against each other: divide to better rule.

        • SCB@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          France has never once, in the history of the country, ever given half a shit about doing the right thing or not disenfranchising people.

          They have a very cool history but France is a shit show top to bottom.

          Basically all of their governing tenets only exist to prevent the French from just living in a state of constant revolution.

          • Guntrigger@feddit.ch
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            1 year ago

            It’s funny that the French are romanticised as a revolutionary people, always ready to stand up to the man and fight for the people.

            They’ve probably just been shit on by their own government more that most other nations, so they’ve reached that tipping point of revolution more than anyone else.

            • SCB@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              The French are the ones doing a lot of the shitting on themselves. The Reign of Terror wasn’t a government initiative.

            • SCB@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Never said it was and never would. Every country has its crazy shit. France’s is just very visible.

              As an American, I can relate to that.

              • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                I think they’re more pro French than Americans are pro American. Then again, we could just be seeing right wing French people, and that would be pretty similar to ours.

                • SCB@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  The French fucking love being French, man. Warts and all. They’re a super charming people to me in that way. Their love honestly seems more genuine than a lot of American patriotism to me.

                  However, no one on Earth hates their government more than the French. People in open revolt probably bitch less about their government. It’s a very French thing to be as dysfunctional as humanly possible, even if things are going good. Shit, especially then.

                  You think Macron had gutted unions and pissed on their ashes Thatcher-style based on the past few months, but he like, raised the equivalent of social security age by like 2 years lol. Like I get disagreeing and voting against that but shit got real.

                  French people are amazing. Like that ratchet cousin everyone has

                  • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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                    1 year ago

                    They have their moments haha. It is very charming, I agree, but it can sometimes go too far, like here.

                    I do think it’s worth pointing out though that for all their dislike of government and protests, the social security equivalent still had its age go up by 2 years, and I believe the protests have petered out. Maybe we’ll see it come back in elections, and I’ll happily eat crow if that’s the case. Right now it just seems like a lot of performative anger vs real change.

        • Project_Straylight@lemmy.villa-straylight.social
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          Having gone to school with many muslims, sadly, it’s more like 4/5. As in, 4 out of 5 of those girls are forced to wear their religious garment. If they don’t it’s seen as shameful for their entire family.

          Some are beaten but most of them are given a free choice: they can choose not to wear it and leave their family (and most friends). Or they can choose to abide and show how much they love god. Not many 10 year old girls choose to leave their family though.

          And the other 1/5th are the full on religious fruitcakes.

          • Flyswat@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            1 year ago

            I have anecdotal experiences too: my sister is Muslim and was wearing hijab in France. Of her own will. My parents argued repeatedly AGAINST it because of all the problems she’d have (and she did have) in that glorious free country. But she wouldn’t budge, because she didn’t want a human to dictate to her what she could wear.

            In many places such dress code is more cultural than religious. From the religious point of view, yes women are to wear it however one cannot FORCE them to. In some places they do, but the scripture does not allow this.

            In secular countries people do not know the difference or don’t even bother because it mostly affects non whites. Instead of tracking the cases where there is abuse and dealing with them accordingly, they just ban it wholesale across the board. It’s like banning knives because some people use them violently.

      • funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        name a video game that doesn’t have some element of religion in it. pac man? ghosts = belief in afterlife. space invaders? I’d call “belief in aliens” a religious belief of sorts. bubble bobble? maybe?

        you also gotta reprint every single piece of American paper money.

        what about my tarot card collection? you gonna lock me in jail because I think the art is cool?

        what about how I listen to Bach or Mozart in the bath?

        you gonna arrest me for saying “Jesus fucking christ” when my cat brings up a hairball?

        I also enjoy “what we do in the shadows”, Yellowjackets, home alone, lord of the rings, dune… all banned by you.

        Even chess has a bishop, king and queen…

        There’s no need to be a redditeur about it, nearly everything is a religious experience or adjacent, and I say that as a secular person and atheist myself.