A Muslim girl in France has filed a complaint with the United Nations (UN) after she was expelled from her school for wearing the abaya— the loose-fitting, full-length robe worn by some Muslim women in August, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
Fifteen-year-old student, who lives in Lyon, has sent a complaint to Ashwini KP, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance, over “discrimination she faced on the grounds of her religious affiliation.”
The complaint was sent to the UN by the student’s lawyer, Nabil Boudi, who issued a statement on Friday, September 22, regarding the case.
According to the statement, the complainant criticizes French education minister Gabriel Attal’s abaya ban, stating that the government failed to prevent all forms of discrimination against women.
In August, education minister, Gabriel Attal, announced that abayas could no longer be worn in schools because they violated the French principle of secularism.
The decision came into effect coinciding with the start of the 2023-2024 academic year, on Monday, September 4, but dozens of female students refused to give up the abaya and were denied entry to their schools in the implementation of the ban.
On Thursday, September 7, the Council of State in France ruled to ban the wearing of the abaya in schools, citing its religious affiliation as the basis.
