An Open Letter to the French Senate

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE FRENCH SENATE

#handsoffmyhijab

The supposed fundamental building blocks of French society are “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité”, meaning liberty, equality, fraternity. In a move that seemingly contradicts these principles, the French Senate has recently voted to ban Muslim girls under the age of 18 from wearing the hijab (a head covering worn in public by many Muslim girls and women). This begs the question, how can a nation that prides itself on freedom of expression, clearly demonstrated by the “Je suis Charlie” (“I am Charlie”) movement in support of “freedom of speech” following the Charlie Hebdo shooting, deny this freedom to Muslim girls and women.

As a Muslim woman who lived in France for over 8 years, this is an issue that affects me deeply. If the National Assembly passes this bill, and if I were still living in France, I would not have the right to accompany my children on their school trips simply because of an item of clothing I choose to wear. I am heartbroken for my French friends and family; their basic human rights threatened under the false pretext of liberation.

The French Senate has called this the ‘Anti-Separation Bill’ but, in reality, they are isolating Muslim women from being active members of society, simply put liberté sans liberté (liberty without liberty). The age of sexual consent is 15 years old whereas the right to wear the hijab would be 18 years old. I cannot comprehend this disparity, or the rationale behind it.

The burkini, which is a modest swimsuit for women that covers the whole body except the face is also to be banned at public pools and beaches by this proposed bill. This will most definitely isolate Muslim women and will impede them from taking part in leisure and sports.

There is a general consensus that the Lower House of Parliament will not approve the bill for implementation into law. Plus, the Constitutional Council will have the final say. However, if history and Donald Trump has taught us anything, it has taught us that anything can happen in politics.

Many have said that this ‘Anti-Separation Bill’ is a political tactic, a mechanism to gain votes in the upcoming elections. Whatever the reason, this rhetoric exists and it is coming direct from government officials. These are people in trusted positions of power, who are supposed to be uniting the country. Instead, they are marginalising Muslim women and how disconcerting this must be for them.

France is a secular state and it claims that this bill is a way to reinforce French values. What are these French values? Many in the French establishment argue that Muslim women are oppressed and coerced into wearing the hijab, yet they have not consulted with these women in order to get their perspective. This kind of arrogance is typical of Western nations like France. Many French Muslim women believe they hold dear the core ‘French values’, as well as those of being a Muslim, and that it should not be one or the other but a marrying of the two for an open and harmonious society.

The burka (the face covering) and religious symbols have already been banned from schools by law. One step at a time, the French government seem to be taking us closer and closer to the full outright ban of the hijab too. It is advocated in the spirit of secularism, but could this just be a smokescreen for the development of an emerging French Orwellian state?