Impact of Headscarf Ban on Muslims: Diversity and Religion in France

This essay examines the contentious issue of the headscarf ban in France, focusing on its implications for religious diversity and the Muslim community. The author, a Muslim Egyptian, expresses opposition to the ban, arguing that it infringes upon religious freedom and cultural identity. The essay traces the history of the debate, starting from 1989 and highlighting key events such as the expulsion of students and the burkini ban. It analyzes the impact of the ban on Muslims' ability to integrate into French society and maintain their cultural values. The author critiques the government's actions, suggesting that they create a separation between society and culture. The essay also reflects on the author's personal learning experience, highlighting the importance of respecting religious and cultural diversity. The author concludes that the headscarf ban should be lifted to allow Muslims to freely practice their religion and preserve their identity.

diversity and religion
[Document subtitle]

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Synopsis
The issue of religious in the country of France is very common, especially in relation to the
headscarves which are worn by the Muslim women. The issue of the political ideals of the
French and the freedom of expression of religion is continuously going on since 1989. According
to the authors of the article Riva Kastoryano, the issue has been analyzed from the perspective of
the individual. And being a Muslim Egyptian, I am completely against the banning of
headscarves in France because of the value of our own religion, culture and the identity. The
banning of headscarves raises the question on the integrity of Muslims and the various other
immigrants (Kastoryano, R. 2006).
As there was a case in 1989 when the three female Muslim students were dangled from the
school in the town of Creil, France as they refused to remove the headscarves. The problem
again occurred in 1994 when the government appointed the education minister and he further
issued the notice to the all public schools in order to forbid the ostentatious signs of the religion.
After, that the affair of headscarf became very common. Further, this issue was highlighted in
2016 when the French government imposed the ban on the women as they are not supposed to
wear burkini on the beaches. The frequent occurrence of these issues made difficult for us
(Muslims) to analogize the values of the universe in order to integrate into the society of France.
The associations were institutionalized and formulized the communities of de facto which further
focused on defining the identity which was betrothed in order to be collective, and the new
solidarities were created to ascertain the permanent difference with regards to Islam. As a result,
we the Muslims were becoming more resigned to the reality of the society which contradicted
the rhetoric of republic (Modood, T. 2016). Despite having the national and international law in
order to protect the laïcité principle of the constitution and the freedom of conscience, the case

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occurred when the three Muslim students were expelled. The law was passed, and the teachers
were given the authority of public schools in order to decide whether the headscarf should be
managed or not. Further, this created a major problem for the Muslims as there were no rules and
the teachers used to decide the management of headscarf casually. The Muslim families wanted
an escape route for their children from the schools as they were losing their identity (Lazaridis,
G. 2015). Further, laïcité was redefined in order to give a response to headscarves, but it didn't
get any final interpretation until years. Therefore, we the Muslims are facing challenges in order
to adjust and survive in France.
Analysis
The following are the answers which were analyzed during the article:
1. Being an individual, I believe that this topic is meaningful for me because I am able to
understand and analyze the diversity issues after understanding the adverse impact of
diversity on the Muslims.
2. Before this course, I had some misunderstandings like that the people with different
culture and values don't face many issues while adjusting in the other country because the
government and society might help them. But, after this course, I have understood it is
very difficult to adjust in other culture who doesn't even value your religion, and your
identity might get lost under the political pressure.
3. I have learned from this topic that every person has the right to live democratically, but
they are not able to do that because of the society and the rules and regulations of the
government. Therefore, the government plays the major role in order to handle the
diversity and discrimination in a positive as well as negative way.

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4. The surprise which occurred in my chosen area is that I didn't know what was happening
with the Muslims since the 1980s in France and they were losing their identity, values,
culture, etc. as the government was imposing their laws on the Muslims. Further, the
issue was not highlighted much in other countries in order to create awareness among
people.
5. The lessons which I would integrate into to my overall learning is that I will value the
religion and culture of my colleagues and will not discriminate on any basis as their
religion and identity are also valuable and important as mine.
Conclusion
Being Muslim women, I would like to conclude that there should not be a ban on the headscarves
of the Muslim women. As this is our tradition and culture and we have an identity because of
this. The government should understand the values of the Muslims and the other immigrants so
that people can freely live where they want to and they should not be forced to lose their identity
and the religion. Therefore, from the given case I have understood that this is an end to national
society because the government is continuously making efforts in order to create a separation
between the society and the culture in France.

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REFERENCES
Kastoryano, R. (2006). Multiculturalism, Muslims and Citizenship: A European Approach.
French Secularism and Islam: France’s Headscarf Affair. p 57-70. New York, New York:
Routledge
Lazaridis, G. (2015). Migrant Women: Maids, Nannies and Nurses, and the Ban on the
Headscarf. In International Migration into Europe (pp. 61-80). Palgrave Macmillan UK.
Modood, T. (2016). 4 Ethno-religious assertiveness out of racial equality. Religion, Equalities,
and Inequalities, 38.