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Paris:
The controversy surrounding the Islamic headscarf, or hijab, has
been rekindled in France this week after the French Court of
Cassation annulled the 2008 dismissal of a Muslim nurse from a
private daycare center because she refused to stop wearing the
hijab, Al Arabiya reported.
The court’s decision created a fire storm in France, prompting
President Francois Hollande to seek a law that would extend
restrictions on wearing “prominent religious symbols” to private
schools. Politicians agreeing with the president have spoken out.
“The Muslims here are French too,
and we are proud of their presence, but I agree with the president
on the importance of issuing a law that will block the right wing
from promoting a complete ban on headscarves,” Socialist Party MP
Olivier Four said.
Muslim women wearing the hijab have voiced concerns over their
future in France.
Algerian graduate student Souad,
fears any new restriction might affect her chances of finding a
suitable job in the future.
“I can't work in public
institutions, and now I can't work in private institutions. What
is my future? In my opinion, this is a disastrous law,” she said.
Mohammed Moussaoui, the president of
the French Council of Muslim Faith, warns from the repercussions
of a new law, but asks Muslims to remain calm.
“The balance is living our religious
life in freedom and dignity and at the same time avoiding anything
that may provoke the other,” Moussaoui said.
Observers say any new law banning
headscarves in private institutions would bring back the tension
that gripped France eight years ago.
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