By Ladin Akcacioglu ’24
Contributing Writer
On March 30, the French Senate voted in favor of banning minors from wearing hijab in public spaces. The ban proposal is part of French President Emmanuel Macron’s vision of a “separatism bill,” which, according to Amnesty International, raises “serious concerns that the law will be applied in a discriminatory way.” Since its arrival, the proposal has evoked controversy within French borders and beyond — echoing France’s previous Islamophobic legislation and colonial past.
Despite having the largest Muslim population in Europe (5.7 million), the recent hijab ban proposal is not the first instance where the French vision of a “secularist state” specifically singled out the Muslim population as the imaginary opponent of the republic’s secularist ideals. France was the first European country to ban niqab — a Muslim face covering — and burqa, as well as burkinis, women’s full-body swimsuits. In an interview with Al-Jazeera, French historian Philippe Portier pointed out that “the original secularist law established in 1905 was intended to ensure freedom of religion for individuals.” For Muslim women who choose to wear physical manifestations of their faith, having a government dictating what they can wear does the exact opposite of ensuring freedom of religion.
According to Mount Holyoke Muslim Student Association’s Co-Chair Nafeesah Ahmed-Adedoja ’23, “Many Western countries claim to want to liberate the Muslim woman from the hijab [or] headscarf but fail to acknowledge that every woman has the right to feel empowered and beautiful regardless of what she wears. This proposal violates hijab[i]s all around the world, attempting to silence and reduce us.”
The architect behind the “separatism bill,” Macron, once described Islam to be a “religion in crisis.” Through his hefty infiltration into daily life, Macron hopes to assimilate and secularize the Muslim population at the expense of civil liberties. According to Al-Jazeera, the bill disproportionately “singles out the minority Muslim population,” both individually and collectively. Beyond restricting head coverings, the bill would give the French government the power to regulate homeschooling, deny hijab-wearing mothers from joining school trips and “deny or withdraw funds to certain organizations.”
According to NPR’s Paris Correspondent Eleanor Beardsley, the bill is an attempt by Conservative lawmakers to gain back far-right voters in the upcoming presidential election. Meanwhile, the possibility of the bill becoming a law puts a shadow of unease into the lives of French Muslims, causing apprehension for their future as people of faith.
Justification of Muslim persecution in the name of “fighting extremism” is no novelty. From the war on terror, the Uyghur genocide in China, and the persecution of Palestinians, Islam has been misinterpreted by various governments to justify human rights violations. The French quest to assimilate its Muslim population is just another example.
According to Mount Holyoke MSA’s Co-Chair Asmaa Chaudhry ’23, “Terror organizations like [ISIS] do not represent us Muslims in any way and yet, our faith is constantly being misunderstood and misinterpreted.” Constant distortion of Islam by calling terrorist groups “religious extremists” is a crime against Muslims worldwide who have suffered both for and from terrorism associated with Islam.
The French obsession with saving Muslim women goes back as early as its colonial era in the Middle East. In her book, “Do Muslim Women Need Saving?” Lila Abu-Lughod aptly points out that the hijab has been weaponized by colonial powers to control, manipulate and occupy territories. In one instance in colonial Algeria, the French officials go as far as to “unveil women at a well-choreographed ceremony” to argue for the need for a French mandate.
The recent ban reveals that not much has changed in the French sociopolitical psyche since its colonial period. According to Marco Perolini, a Europe researcher for Amnesty International, “The French authorities have used a vague and ill-defined concept of ‘radicalization’ to justify the imposition of measures without valid ground.” The French government’s conservative war on Muslim women’s freedom signals the Western need for making Islam palatable — easily digestible for assimilation, manipulation, and suppression.
Despite what the bill claims, the hijab does not “signify inferiority of women over men.” Instead, leaving the choice to wear the hijab brings equality and a sense of self-empowerment.