In the heart of Europe’s so-called liberal beacon, a quiet but persistent erosion of religious freedom has begun to unfold. France has long been celebrated for its commitment to equality; however, it now finds itself positioned at the centre of a growing debate: can secularism coexist with visibility?
For countless Muslim women, the answer has been a resounding no. From football fields and classrooms to Parisian boulevards, their garments, particularly the hijab and the abaya, have become the subject of legal scrutiny and have been discussed and debated through courtrooms, newsrooms, parliaments and even media platforms. Behind the rhetoric of neutrality lies a troubling reality: France’s secularism, or laïcité, is increasingly being used as a sword to silence rather than a shield for equality.
Legislating the Body: The Evolution of the Hijab Bans
France’s restrictions on Islamic garments did not begin with a ban on the hijab and abaya. Instead, in 2004, the country enacted a series of laws regulating religious attire in public life, which impacted Muslim women in particular. A law banning “conspicuous” religious symbols in public schools, a policy seen as targeting the hijab worn by many Muslim girls. By 2010, France had become the first European country to outlaw full-face coverings, including the niqab and burqa, in all public spaces. Subsequently, by 2022, the French Senate voted to prohibit athletes from wearing “ostentatious religious symbols” during competitive sports. As seen most recently, in 2023, the French government has now formally banned abayas and khamis, loose, full-length garments that are worn by women in association with Islamic dress, from public schools, framing them as violations of France’s strict secular principles.
This reflects a broader political and cultural debate over religious visibility and national identity in France as each of these policies rests on the same logic: that religious expression, when visible, is inherently disruptive to the public order.
While the state claims to be protecting its secular integrity, critics argue that these measures are systematically targeting one group: Muslim women. Often, these laws tend to ignore the everyday experiences of those who may be disproportionately impacted and instead, preserve a narrative in which Muslim women’s clothing is treated as foreign, threatening, and in need of regulation.
Laïcité: A Double Standard in Disguise
Laïcité refers to a French brand of secularism established in 1905. This was originally designed to separate church and state while aiming to curb the Catholic Church’s historical influence in politics. However, in recent decades, laïcité has evolved into a stringent framework that is restricting the expression of minority religions in public life.
It is worth noting that secularism is not applied uniformly. While Christian symbols such as crosses in public cemeteries or Catholic holidays remain untouched, Muslim expressions are viewed with suspicion. Revealing that there is selective enforcement and suggesting that a deeper issue is in play: the weaponisation of secularism to police identity and belonging.
It is clearly seen that a double standard has been held in the way that Christian symbols, such as crucifixes in public cemeteries or nativity scenes in municipal buildings, are often preserved or overlooked, while visible Muslim practices like the hijab or public prayer are met with legal restrictions. Such asymmetry underscores how laïcité can be mobilised to privilege certain identities while marginalising others. For many French Muslims, laïcité has become a form of cultural exclusion, one that demands assimilation at the cost of visibility.
Whose Liberation?
In many cases, French officials try to frame these policies as a way to “liberate” Muslim women from patriarchal control. Yet, this narrative is not only patronising but also neglects the complexities of historical realities. Such rhetoric echoes colonial narratives that framed Muslim women as typical oppressed subjects in need of rescue, usually by Western, secular powers.
What is truly absent from these discussions are the voices of Muslim, hijabi women themselves. When given the opportunity to speak up, many describe their adherence to the hijab or abaya attire as an act of personal choice, spiritual conviction, and cultural identity. What they are seeking is liberation from state overreach.
In a 2023 article published by Al Jazeera, various teachers and activists argued that the abaya ban is being used as an excuse to undermine broader issues within France’s education system. As teachers and staff begin to suffer from unequal salaries and schools face shortages in teaching staff, it can be seen that the abaya ban in schools has no correlation with the need for educational reforms.
Global Echoes and Local Resistance
France’s treatment of hijabi women has not gone unnoticed. Human rights groups such as Amnesty International and the UN Human Rights Council have repeatedly criticised the country for its discriminatory policies. Meanwhile, grassroots resistance is also growing. Muslim women in France are creating support networks, launching legal challenges, and also sharing their stories online through hashtags like ‘#HandsOffMyHijab’. These acts of digital and community resistance challenge dominant narratives and make it visible that the French state seeks to conceal the fact that struggles for religious freedom are still ongoing and deeply gendered.
Furthermore, youth organisations, particularly those led by racialised women, are also pushing back by organising teach-ins, protests, and political education campaigns. Their message is clear: secularism should protect freedom, not erase it.
The Stakes of Visibility
What is ultimately at stake is not just clothing, but the right to exist in public spaces without being surveilled, shamed, or silenced. The repeated targeting towards Muslim women’s attire reflects a deeper discomfort with pluralism within France, posing the fundamental question of: who it is that can be truly seen as French?
In its current form, laïcité is failing the very people it claims to protect. Rather than fostering unity, it is enforcing conformity. While also legitimising exclusion and revealing how power shapes what and who is deemed acceptable and visible within the state.
A Call to Reimagine Secularism
France must reckon with the gap between its ideals and its practices. True secularism should mean freedom from coercion, not the suppression of identity. The right to belief and expressing yourself should be open and safe universally.
For Muslim women, this is a fight about reclaiming their voice, dignity and space in a country that often denies them all three. Their resistance reminds us that visibility is not a threat. It is a right.
Edited by Natasha Bhimji
Disclaimer: This is an article written by a Staff Writer. Catalyst is a student-led platform that fosters engagement with global issues from a learning perspective. The opinions expressed above do not necessarily reflect the views of the publication.
