UpFront examines discrimination and secularism in France after the government bans the abaya in public schools.
As schools begin again, the French government announced a ban on the abaya – a full-length robe frequently worn by Muslim women – in public schools.
This recent decision has generated controversy in France. Several opponents protested in front of public schools, questioning the true motive behind this new rule.
Why is this decision so contentious? And what can be justified under France’s secularism laws?
On UpFront, Marc Lamont Hill talks with Rokhaya Diallo, a French journalist and filmmaker, to explore the reasons and consequences behind the ban on the abaya in public schools.