The abaya has no place in school, says Minister of Education Édouard Geffray
The Minister of Education defends secularism after La France insoumise's proposal to reverse the ban on the abaya.
Quick Look
Édouard Geffray reaffirmed that the abaya has no place in schools in the name of secularism, rejecting the proposal from La France insoumise to lift its ban in educational establishments.
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Why It Matters
The ban on the abaya at school came into force in September 2023 at the instigation of Gabriel Attal.
“The abaya has no place in school,” said Education Minister Édouard Geffray on Wednesday, believing that “school is neutral” and that secularism cannot be “negotiated,” after La France insoumise’s proposal to reverse its ban in schools.
“I believe deeply in the principle of secularism. “It’s not something that we trample on or negotiate,” said the minister on TF1, adding that this allows “a young person to grow spiritually free from the pressure of others.”
“School is neutral. So the abaya has no place in school, any more than the veil, any more than the big cross, any more than the kippah,” he added. The ban on the abaya, traditional Muslim attire, came into force in September 2023, carried by Gabriel Attal (Renaissance), who was then Minister of Education and had made this decision one of his markers.
Candidates' responses
Sunday on BFMTV, the head of the LFI deputies, Mathilde Panot, judged the ban on the abaya "absurd", reflecting on images showing "two young girls who arrived with exactly the same dress bought in exactly the same place, but as one looked Arab she was prohibited from entering", and not the other.
Open Questions
- Will France Insoumise table a formal bill?
- What will the reaction of other political parties be?
