The country’s education minister, Gabriel Attal, announced a few days ago that the kaftan-like garment most commonly worn by Muslims, the abaya for women and girls and the khamis for boys and men, would be banned when the new school year started.
Macron said “we know there will be cases” of students testing the rule, including some trying to “challenge the system of the republic”. According to the president, students will not be able to enter the classrooms, stressing that “we will be relentless on the issue”.
If necessary, “special personnel” will be sent to “sensitive” schools to assist principals and teachers and to discuss with students and families, the president continued.
The abayan is a kaftan-like garment that covers most of the body except for the face, hands and feet, and is sometimes worn by Muslim women.
The announcement of the new rule came after a months-long debate in France about whether it should be allowed to wear the abaya in the country’s schools. The political right and far right have pushed to ban the garment, while the left has argued that a ban would curtail students’ civil rights.
Religious symbols and headdresses have been banned in French schools since 2004. The ban was extended in 2007 to include professions in the public sector. Since spring 2011, it is also forbidden to cover the face in public.