“There is a level of sensitivity and alertness to these issues that did not exist two years ago,” said Pap Ndiaye in RTL’s Le Grand Jury / Le Figaro / LCI on October 16, two years to the day after the assassination of Samuel Paty by an Islamist terrorist. But there is still “work to do” he continued. The minister was questioned about attacks on secularism in schools after the publication of the latest figures showing, in particular, an increase in incidents relating to the wearing of religious uniforms and symbols in establishments. “The 2004 law must be applied strictly and firmly,” he reiterated. Before launching: “I do not have my hand shaking on questions of secularism”.
Not enough for Jean-Pierre Obin, former Inspector General of National Education. The author of the book How Islamism was allowed to penetrate the school (Hermann editions, 2020) denounces an offensive against schools “on an unprecedented scale” and urges the ministry to take strong measures fearing “the end of the republican school”. The specialist also returns to the recent initiative of a new collective “Schooling without Islamophobia” which can be seen as a “call for denunciation” and which he considers “extremely dangerous”.
The latest figures show an increase in the number of Islamic clothing in schools. Did Pap Ndiaye take the measure of what is happening according to you?
Jean Pierre Obin I’m not sure if the Minister has taken the measure of it, even if I note that his recent declarations are firmer and contrast with his previous procrastination. The problem is that the relative silence and denial in which he had taken refuge in recent months has created a breath of fresh air and could well have irreversible consequences. Pap Ndiaye may say today that he will be firm, that his hand does not shake, we would like him to use it to write and give clear instructions to his rectors. For several months, we have been facing an Islamist offensive, a political offensive which exploits the Muslim religion, visibly coordinated, against the school of the Republic and more precisely against the law of 2004 relating to the prohibition of the wearing of conspicuous religious symbols in schools. This is the first time, in my opinion, that we are dealing with an attack of such magnitude. The novelty is that the people behind this campaign have a perfect command of social networks, the strategies of influencers, the way of speaking to young people and their cultural codes. In this, they are much more effective than were the radical preachers at work so far in some mosques. The increase in the number of abayas and qamis [NDLR : robes et tuniques longues] identified in colleges and high schools is part of this Islamist strategy. Headteachers are now demanding clear and precise instructions to deal with it. However, so far, the ministry has contented itself with recalling the law.
What exactly does the law say?
The law prohibits students from wearing any sign or clothing that ostensibly indicates a religious affiliation. No list is indexed to it since everything can make a sign and the imagination can be limitless if it is a question of circumventing a law. The important thing is not the signifier (a veil, a bandana, an abaya, etc.) but the signified (what the sign wants to signify in a context) which, today, in the context we are observing, is absolutely unambiguous. However, principals and principals are asked to decide each case themselves, as if it were a question of judging purely local contexts. In my opinion, this phenomenon should not be managed locally, at the level of each establishment, because the context in which we find ourselves today is that of a national political campaign. It must therefore receive a national political response. These appeals launched on social networks towards young people, calling for them to break the 2004 law in great detail to help them circumvent it, require identical responses everywhere. The situation therefore justifies the total ban of these Islamist clothes in all schools. This is the strong word that the Minister should speak today. This political offensive calls for a political response and cannot be satisfied with simple legal reminders. If we don’t act now, if we let the management staff hesitate on the measures to take – which we can understand given the dangerousness of certain situations – the law will be more and more circumvented and will end everything simply by no longer being applied. The Islamists will have won! It is not a question of going back on the current legislation but of giving clear instructions to rectors and heads of establishments affirming this clear principle: given the current circumstances, abayas and qamis cannot be authorized in educational establishments. .
Some elected officials like Eric Ciotti, MP (LR) for the Alpes-Maritimes, are asking for the vote on a new law on religious clothing. So that’s not the solution for you…
Absolutely not. The current law is well drafted, very comprehensive and has case law established by the Council of State. Any attempt to compile a list of religious clothing would be ridiculous and frustrating. Young people, who have an overflowing imagination, would always find a way to resort to another garment or another accessory that is not on the list. I repeat, we must not attach ourselves to the signified but to the signifier. That is to say what the garment means according to the context in which we are. And, again, the one we are in today is a national context.
On October 15, a new collective, “Scolarité sans islamophobia”, was born on social networks. He encourages students and parents of students to report any “problems related to certain outfits (abayas, long dresses, bandanas, etc.)” to them. How does this call inspire you?
This approach, extremely dangerous, can be seen as a call for denunciation. Its initiators encourage families to denounce teachers, heads of establishments, educational advisers who only apply the law. We find here the usual procedure of the Islamists: we designate targets, we name them and, then, others possibly take care of the dirty work. This is exactly what happened to Samuel Paty. At a time when we commemorate the assassination of this history and geography professor, this initiative is particularly despicable. All the more so when it is notably relayed by a teacher – which I have seen on the social network in question. That civil servants call to denounce their own colleagues is particularly serious and telling. This attempt at intimidation, intended to give free rein to the challenge of the law, enters well and truly within the framework of this Islamist offensive that I have just described. Again, I think that if the department does not react strongly enough, the 2004 law is doomed. There will then no longer be any barrier to prevent the development of manifestations of religious affiliation in colleges and high schools, the identification and grouping of students into identity communities withdrawn into themselves. This will be the end of the republican school.