More than a decade after imposing hijab ban in France, Muslims in the European country complained that the ban has given “cover” to acts of discrimination against their community.
\n\u201cWhat did we do wrong?\u201d a Muslim child asked his mother after being barred from entering the inflatable toys on a temporary beach near Paris, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, May 27.
\nThe mother of the 9-year-old child, Malek Layouni, was recounting how she felt humiliated when local officials blocked her path to the amusement site for wearing the Islamic head attire<\/p>\n
Turned away in front of friends and neighbors, Layouni still has no answer for her son’s question.
\nIn 2004, France banned Muslims from wearing hijab, an obligatory code of dress for Muslims, in public places. Several European countries followed the French example.
\nFrance also outlawed the wearing of face-veil in public in 2011.
\nBesides the current bans, several politicians have called for extending the prohibition of the Islamic veil to jobs, educational institutions and community life.
\nDebates surrounding the Islamic veil have resurfaces recently, backed by Paris attacks that left 17 killed, including two Muslims.
\nCritics of hijab ban argued that the calls for new anti-hijab measures would encourage more bias against Muslims in general and veiled women in particular.
\nThey also claimed that further restrictions would foster radicalization and increasing the gap between Muslims & non-Muslims.
\nThe situation for French Muslims has been deteriorating recently, especially after January\u2019s Charlie Hebdo attack.
\nIn April, the National Observatory Against Islamophobia warned of an unprecedented increase in Islamophobic attacks in France during the first three months of 2015, rising by six-fold than in 2014.
\nIslamophobic actions soared by 500% compared to the same period in 2011, according to the observatory.
\nThe National Observatory Against Islamophobia said over 100 incidents have been reported to the police since the Charlie Hebdo attacks of January 7-9.
\nThe observatory also noted that more than 222 separate acts of anti-Muslim behavior were recorded in the first month after the January attacks.<\/p>\n
Targeting Women<\/strong><\/p>\n As Islmophobia soars in France, Muslims women became the main target of anti-Muslim racial attacks, being easily recognized for their Islamic attire. Source: OnIslam<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" More than a decade after imposing hijab ban in France, Muslims in the European country complained that the ban has given “cover” to acts of discrimination against their community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[130,131],"class_list":["post-4190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-c102-muslim-minorities","tag-hijab","tag-hijab-ban"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nAccording to the National Observatory Against Islamophobia, 80% of Islamophobic attacks in 2013 and 2014 targeted Muslim women, mostly veiled.
\n\u201cWhat is revolting is that such things take place in broad daylight and with the total indifference of the people around,\u201d said Abdallah Zekri, the group\u2019s president.
\nSince imposing a ban on the Islamic face-veil, niqab, in 2011, only about 1,000 fines have been issued.
\nWhile some fully veiled women defy the ban and pay the fine, other Muslim women felt under siege, afraid to leave home, researchers warned.
\n\u201cIt is the worst-case scenario,\u201d said Naima Bouteldja, who wrote two reports on the subject for the nonprofit Open Society Foundations, which supports human rights.
\n\u201cThey are not liberated, they are imprisoned by this law.\u201d
\nMany believe that the ban exposes the double standards of the European country, where fully veiled tourist from the Middle East can tour the Champs-\u00c9lys\u00e9es freely without being “ticketed” or discriminated against.
\nFrance is home to a Muslim community of nearly six million, the largest in Europe.
\nFrench Muslims have been complaining of restrictions on performing their religious practices.
\nAdding to French Muslim woes, the French minister of education in December 2013 has maintained an earlier ban on hijab for Muslim volunteers in school trips, ignoring a legal advice from France\u2019s Council of State.
\nAccording to the controversial directive, a ban on wearing religious symbols in schools was extended to parents on school trips from wearing religious symbols.
\n\u201cFrance wanted us when they needed us,\u201d Ouassila Arab, 34, one mother barred from such activities, said.
\n\u201cNow they are not so interested.\u201d<\/p>\n