News: the dress that's banned from French schools

Nothing says 'back to school' like a good fracas over garments

Dozens of girls were sent home from school on Monday, September 4, in France.

That’s because they defied a recent French ban on wearing an abaya in public schools.

The abaya is a long, robe-like dress that is traditionally worn by Muslim girls and women. It’s not the headscarf — that was banned from schools in 2004. It’s just the dress. It’s like a caftan or… a dress.

Examples of an abaya

The Minister of Education announced the ban the week before la rentrée (‘back to school’ time in France). It sparked a major debate across the country:

• if the abaya is just a long dress, why does it have to be banned?

• then why aren’t all long dresses banned?

• is the abaya a cultural or religious symbol?

This all goes back to France’s policy of laïcité.

The Economist explains it nicely: laïcité “enshrines in law the right to believe, or not to believe, while at the same time keeping religion out of public affairs. No French president, for instance, could ever be sworn in on a holy book. No French state school could hold a nativity play.”

The Education Ministry of France has been keeping tabs on violations of laïcité since 2017. There were nearly 2,000 reports of violations during the 2022-23 school year, mostly related to wearing the abaya. My guess is this is what prompted this recent ban.

French kids went back to school on September 4

A lawsuit was filed with a French high court last week to challenge the ban, but the court upheld the decision. I’m sure more lawsuits will follow.

Just a side note: I actually have an abaya myself, a gift from a dear friend whom I worked with in Qatar. It’s long and flowy and comfortable. In Qatar, it’s not only a traditional garment, but also a fashion statement!

ANOTHER NOTE: I wrote this article because I also want to bring you some of the latest issues and debates that are happening in French society today. Do you find this helpful? I’d love to get your thoughts - if you wish to leave a comment.

If you want to read further, there is an interesting article about media coverage of laïcité from the European Academy of Religion and Society

Watch a hilarious video from 3 years ago about the ‘hypocrisy’ of some of France’s rules around religion (you don’t need to speak French to get the humor).