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Pupils
hold out against scarf ban
From correspondents in Paris
September 20, 2004
ABOUT 100 Muslim girls were refusing to remove their
headscarves when they arrived for classes in France, Education
Minister Francois Fillon said today, in a first assessment of the
impact of a controversial ban.
France has passed laws barring overt religious insignia in state
schools.
"Last year there were a little over 1500 girls who wore
headscarves throughout the school year," Mr Fillon said.
"There were 635 cases at the start of classes this year, and
after a period of dialogue 534 of them have since agreed to remove
it.
"So 101 cases are still being treated."
The "secularity law" which prohibits the headscarf and other
"conspicuous" religious insignia from state schools came into
effect two weeks ago despite complaints from some Muslim groups
that it was a form of discrimination against Islam.
Under the law, school authorities must first try to persuade
girls to remove the headscarf and only if they persist in refusing
can they be expelled.
"I hope there will be as few expulsions as possible. Every day
the number of cases is going down," Mr Fillon said on Europe 1
radio.
The return to classes was overshadowed by the hostage crisis in
Iraq and a demand by a group holding two journalists that France
rescind the headscarf law.
Mr Fillon praised the unanimous reaction of French Muslims in
condemning the hostage-takers.
"Everyone remarked the
way French Muslims expressed their attachment to France and the
republic before any other consideration," he said.
Agence France-Presse
Source:
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