Hijab News in the UK: Hijab Activists Urge MEPs to Overturn French Ban

Hijab Activists Urge MEPs to Overturn French Ban

Published: 11-5-2005

Hijab Activists Urge MEPs to Overturn French Ban

Most of the demonstrators came from Germany, France and Britain

By Ahmad Maher, IOL Staff

CAIRO, May 11, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – Muslim women and human rights activists gathered Wednesday, May 11, in front of the Strasbourg-based European Parliament, urging MEPs to back a parliamentary bid obliging France and other European countries to overturn a ban on hijab and religious symbols.

Co-organized by the London-based Assembly for the Protection of Hijab (Protect Hijab) with the help of British MEPs Caroline Lucas and Sarah Ludford, the peaceful march brought together about 80 hijab-clad girls and women from across Europe, Protect Hijab member Nacira Sepouai told IslamOnline.net over the phone.

“Most of them came from France, Germany and Britain,” she said.

The demonstration was supposed to be attended by Sikh representatives since their minority is also targeted by the French ban.

“Only one has showed up as they made an appointment with MEPs to speak to them face-to-face later in the day,” Sepouai added.

The march went without incident though European Parliament guards called in French police and used some racist expressions, the pro-hijab activist said.

On February 23, Protect Hijab launched in the European Parliament a Written Declaration, basically calling for the right to wear hijab, Sikh turban, Jewish skullcap and Christian cross in state establishments such as schools.

The declaration is a means for MEPs to make a political statement on a particular issue. To become a binding resolution, the document must get the endorsement of 366 MEPs, the half of the 732-member legislature.

It was initially drafted by Lucas (Green Party), amended by Ludford (Liberal Democrats) and then translated into 22 languages spoken across Europe.

It was co-reviewed by Protect Hijab and other MEPs including Claude Moraes (Labour), Phillip Bushill-Matthews (Conservative) and French Alian Liptiez until they reached the final text last December.

Civilized

A library photo of a pro-hijab rally.

Nora Rami, member of the Paris-based Free Community Organization that works in tandem with Protect Hijab, said the gathering was organized in a civilized manner, adding their message was passed along verbally and through banners.

“We raised two banners: the first told the French people that the French Muslims don’t oppose secularism but are against the expulsion of [hijab-clad] Muslim girls from public schools,” Rami told IOL.

“The second one reminds that public schools must accept any citizen irrespective of his/her religion or background.”

Rami said both Lucas and Ludford were keen on sharing French girls, who have been expelled from schools, the moment.

“They showed up and consoled with many of the girls expelled by their schools in France and talked with them about their problems,” she said.

Lucas, on her part, said in a statement to IOL that the French hijab ban was an attack on the Muslim minority as well as an affront to civil liberties.

“The civil liberties affronted by this ban are central to the ideals of the French republic - and the French government must defend them, standing up for Muslims, Jews, Sikhs and Christians, and for a multicultural Europe free of the violence and mistrust which characterizes the conflict in the Middle East and elsewhere.

“The ban violates the human rights of free expression and freedom to practice religion, undermines multiculturalism and is likely to create tension and racist attacks.”

Rami further said that the pro-hijab campaign has succeeded in collecting 53 signatures from MEPs, but is still far below the 366 ceiling.

“I think it’s a great achievement at the end of the day,” she said.

Protect Hijab Coordinator Abeer Pharaon told IOL in an earlier interview that of 161 written declarations on different issues that had been presented to the parliament, only six were adopted.

French Parliament

“The ban violates the human rights of free expression and freedom to practice religion,” said Lucas.

On their next move, Rami said her organization has already prepared a report documenting anti-hijab incidents and giving feedback on the consequences that followed the application of the law.

“The French parliament will discuss the consequences of the law approximately in July as French deputies promised to raise the issue in one year’s time,” she said.

“We have sent our report to the 577 members of the French parliament, and though we know that they won’t amend the law but at least we tried our best.”

France's lower house of parliament adopted on February 10 last year with an overwhelming majority the controversial bill.

The text, put forward by President Jacques Chirac's ruling centre-right Union for a Popular Majority (UMP) party and supported by the left-wing opposition Socialists, was adopted by a vote of 494 to 36.

Demonstrators took to streets in more than 20 European countries following the application of the law in September.

International figures also stood behind the Muslim right, including London Mayor Ken Livingstone, who said Paris’s move is an “anti-Muslim measure” and accused Chirac plays a “terribly, terribly dangerous game.”

Islam sees hijab as an obligatory code of dress, not a religious symbol displaying one’s affiliations.

Source: Source: IslamOnline.net

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