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Kristine Arukwe

Phillips

Ap English

17 December 2018

Being Muslim in France

France upholds a huge Muslim population of nearly 6 million Muslim citizens, yet this

minority group has endured “400 discriminatory acts, nearly 40 attacks and around 100 insults

and threats” in only the past couple of months (based on ABC news reports), simply due to their

visible expression of religion. Muslim women have been told how to express their religion, and

where it’s “appropriate” to express it. Religion is a personal connection that shouldn’t have to be

explained to anyone, especially not to your government. However, the French government has

enforced a ban on Muslim women veils to to deny Muslim women the individual right to express

their religion, to ease their fear associated with the symbolic veil. The banning of Muslim

women veils in France needs to be vetoed and never reopened, because the ban is preventing

French Muslim women the ability to express their religion freely and unapologetically, also the

discrimination associated with the ban has made French Muslim women feel like outsiders in

their own country.

To wear a veil or head covering in the Islamic faith is displaying obedience to the Qur'an

and to Allah, so as the French government bans the symbolic expression of faith, that takes away

the freedom of religious expression that other major religious groups have never been denied. In

October of this year, a 28 year old woman was harassed for wearing her veil after France had

passed the ban. She was hassarased by another female who felt threatened by her veil, and
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demanded she take it off, and when she refused the woman proceeded to forcefully snatch the

veil off the Muslim woman's head (Tan). Since the passing of this ban, islamophobic civilians

have tormented Muslims due to their veil being an easy way to distinguish them from others,

creating a Hell on earth for all Muslim women who are denied the right to express their religion.

This tormenting is associated by discrimination, especially in the workplace where the

Muslim community as seen the effects. As many French Muslims face high levels of

discrimination due to their “Muslim-sounding names”, employers tend not to hire them because

they don’t want to be responsible for discrimination that can occur at work. However, if even

given the interview many employers deny their applications because their religious veil is seen to

be a “distraction”. Because of course, a symbolic veil to express religious obedience to Allah is

a “distraction” to individuals who don't worship the same God as Muslims. This pattern of

oppression in society is present, and the government has only encouraged the insensitivity.

Due to the discrimination associated with the ban, many French Muslim woman feel

inferior to their society, and this has caused them to be silenced in the government. Iaad Ben

Dhia, president of the Muslim Student of France states she does not feel properly represented by

Frances Muslim Council. As the Council was created by Europeans who don't fight hard for the

cause, because there a sense of disconnect between the two ethnic groups. The French Council

members don't sympathize with the Muslim members, so this causes issues not directly affecting

the French to not get reformed. This disconnect is what a lot of Muslims feel in France, hence is

the result of silence among Muslims politically. Samia Hathroubi, an interfaith activist fears that

these bans will cause French Muslims to be politically silenced since they haven’t been

welcomed.
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French Muslim woman have received major backlash from the rest of the French

community for expressing their religion through their symbolic veil on national television

programs. 19 year old Maryam Pougetox, a student at a university has been harassed for wearing

her hijab on a French television program. As she states “I’m just a student who engages in a

union at my university and who carries the values of the union and not all those of the extremes”

(McAuley). Days after her appearance, French airways were more critical of her physical

appearance and less of what she was saying. This isn’t the first incident were Muslims have

been overlooked by their appearance. 22 year old Mennel Ibtissem, a singer went on “The

Voice” a popular talent show to pursue her dreams, but was ridiculed and pressured to drop out

of the show because she appeared “radical” (McAuley). France has ridiculed Muslim women

because of their visible religious veil, causing women to be forced to endure the backlash

associated with freely expressing themselves.

The French government fails to be sympathetic to Muslim customs and their way of life.

This year, France denied a woman of citizenship when the Muslim woman refused to make

physical contact with a male, due to her religion forbidding it. Being that Muslims are a minority

in France the government often doesn’t care about their religious views, so they are often

disregarded. France is harassing Muslim women for wearing their religious veils, but refrains

from attacking Christians who wear “ crosses on pines, or earrings” (Amdur). Christians and

other major religious groups don’t face oppression for expressing their religion, whereas with

Muslims who do due to the terrorist connotation associated with the Muslim veil.

The French government and other French civilians who support the ban believe it was a

necessary policy to pass. After the 2015 and 2016 terrorist attacks, France has become more
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fearful of Islamic presence. To justify Frances discriminatory ban they’ve used the idea of

“secularism” to defend the right to ban the Muslim veil, so the liberal issues with the ban can be

separated from religion and solely on the protection of France. French Officials claim “the ban

on face covering was necessary and proportionate from a security standpoint or attaining the goal

of “living together” in society”(Reuters). That allowing the veil to be present in public “reveals

a lack of assimilation”(Gopalan). Unfortunately for Muslim women, that means to silence them

and oppress them of their freedom to satisfy the major of their islamic fears. No matter how

France attempts to justify the ban, it is an invasion of Muslim women’s rights and the effects are

persecuting their rights as just women.

The UN also supports that the ban is an invasion of woman rights and fears the

repercussions that this ban will have on French Muslims. The UN states the Frances outlaw of

Muslim woman's veil has been seen as an attack on women rights. As Muslim women no longer

have a choice on whether or whether not they can wear their veil. Muslim women who refuse to

be suppressed to this law are fined 150 euros ($250 USD) or can be punished by French officials.

France fails to realize this policy is violating not just one's religious freedom, but a woman's

freedom to have a choice on her appearance. With the passing of this ban, the UN Committee

feels that this law will make women feel like slaves to their homes, because they’re not welcome

freely in public.

France’s ban against Muslim women’s veil is an invasion of women and religious rights

as it discriminates a specific minority and limits women choice of religious expression. The UN

and other organization need to team up to vetoed the policy, and create laws that never allow

policies like this one to be passed again. It’s a crime that society can’t accept each others
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differences, but insteads picks them apart to belittle one another. As a nation we need to protect

our neighbors and stand up for injustices. France can not let their fear of terrorism justify

oppressing the Muslim community.Until the ban is vetoed and laws are passed to protect Muslim

women they will continue to be limited of their religious and woman rights.
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Works Cited

Amdur, Reuel S. "An Aspect of Freedom."​ Liberty: Magazine of Religious Freedom​, Mar. 2018,

pp. 15-17​. SIRS Issues Researcher​,​ ​https://sks.sirs.com​.

“Being Muslim in France – HOPE Not Hate.” ​HOPE Not Hate,​ 26 Apr. 2017,

www.hopenothate.org.uk/2017/04/17/being-muslim-in-france/​.

Diallo, Rokhaya. “Hijab: a Very French Obsession.” ​GCC News | Al Jazeera,​ Al Jazeera, 4 Apr.

2018,​ ​www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/hijab-french-obsession-180402135257398.html​.

Etehad, Melissa. "Cover Up, Leader Tells Women."​ Los Angeles Times​, 07 Oct. 2018, pp. A.2​.

SIRS Issues Researcher​,​ ​https://sks.sirs.com​.

“France and the Veil.” ​Daily Times (Pakistan),​ 26 Oct. 2018.

Reuters. “France’s Ban on Full-Body Islamic Veil Violates Human Rights, Says UN Human

Rights Panel.” ​Malay Mail,​ 23 Oct. 2018, p. 1. ​EBSCOhost​,

search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,custuid&custid=s8455861&db=n5h

&AN=132983428&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

“France's Niqab Ban Violates Human Rights, UN Panel Says.” ​ABC News​, Australian

Broadcasting Corporation, 23 Oct. 2018,

www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-24/frances-niqab-ban-violates-human-rights-un-panel-says/1

0421900​.

Gopalan, Sandeep. "Why are Europeans Afraid?"​ New Straits Times​, 17 May. 2018, pp. 15​. SIRS

Issues Researcher,​ ​ ​https://sks.sirs.com​.

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McAuley, James. "Headscarf Obscures a Student's Message." Washington Post, 31 May. 2018,

pp. A.10. SIRS Issues Researcher,​ ​https://sks.sirs.com​.

Sparrow, Mary. “Understanding the Veil: A Primer in Muslim Women's Head Coverings [Photo

Gallery].” ​International Mission Board​, International Mission Board, 9 July 2018,

​www.imb.org/2018/07/09/muslim-womens-head-coverings/​.

Tan, Rebecca. "From France to Denmark, bans on full-face Muslim veils are spreading across

Europe." ​Washingtonpost.com​, 16 Aug. 2018. ​Global Issues in Context​,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A550468699/GIC?u=rale84535&sid=GIC&xid=e4c156d

f. Accessed 5 Dec. 2018.

O'Grady, Siobhán. “France's Ban on Veils Violates Human Rights, a U.N. Committee Says.” ​The

Washington Post​, WP Company, 24 Oct. 2018,

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2018/10/24/frances-ban-veils-violates-human-rights-un-co

mmittee-says/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.78c96770d22b​.

“On the Sources of Secularism in France.” ​CNRS News​, 13 Aug. 2018,

news.cnrs.fr/articles/on-the-sources-of-secularism-in-france.
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