Sun 09 May 2021:
During recent debate over a French bill many charge is Islamophobic, the way the bill in particular targeted the wearing of hijabs came under fierce criticism, especially from the women who say choosing how they dress is their God-given right.
#pas touché à mon hijab pic.twitter.com/BTBy6qs6qb
— SAMI Meczub (@MeczubSami) May 8, 2021
The bill would ban mothers from wearing hijabs (headscarves) while accompanying their children on school trips, prohibit the wearing of coverup burkinis (full-body swimwear) in public pools, and ban minor girls from concealing their face or wearing religious symbols in the public space.
In the face of these legal challenges, a number of French women started a “don’t touch my hijab” movement on social media.
Duygu Akin, who started the movement with other French Muslim women, spoke with Anadolu Agency about Islamophobic attitudes and laws in her country.
‘Hijabs always made into an issue’
Akin, 25, a French Muslim woman who wears a headscarf, is set to enter the business world armed with a forthcoming master’s degree in finance.
Akin, who lives in Strasbourg, said hijabs in France have long been made a subject of controversy, and have been brought up again and again.
#HandsOffMyHijab – This is how Muslim women in France are battling a potential headscarf ban for girls under 18 years old. pic.twitter.com/yciRTWBDwA
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) May 7, 2021
After a British social media influencer showed her opposition to France’s hijab bans by writing “hands off my hijab” on her own hands, Akin and her friends decided to take action and translated the phrase into French.
“We wrote #pastoucheamonhijab [Don’t touch my hijab] on our hands and posted pictures on social media. With the support of those who saw our message, our movement expanded to the media,” she said.
Akin said the movement got a very good response both in France and abroad.
“Even some journalists reacted with astonishment over how hijabs are such a big issue in France even during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
‘Public ban spread to private companies’
Wearing a hijab during education faces many challenges in France, said Akin, adding that high schools prohibit it.
“Although only public companies have (overt) bans on hijabs, many private companies don’t hire women who wear headscarves. This is precisely because there is a bad perception of hijabs in France,” said Akin.
-AA
