If someone were to tell you to take your shirt or pants off, or any other necessary piece of clothing, would you? If you answered no, what if you were told that there is a law that legally prohibited you from wearing said clothing items, and that you could be criminalized for wearing them? This sounds like an impossible vision, but for Muslim girls in France, this is their reality. 

On April 8th, 2021, France passed an amendment that would ban ALL Muslim girls under the age of 18 from wearing the headscarf, hijab, in public.

Another proposed amendment would ban Muslim mothers from accompanying their children on school trips as well as the burkini, a body-covering swimsuit primarily utilized by Muslim women for modesty purposes (Beardsley). Unfortunately, many on social media are defending the removal of the hijab to “restore French culture.” (Katebi). Although not an official law yet, the fact that a global power has passed such a proposition is an attack on Muslims, specifically Muslim women: the reality is that this is Islamophobia—and even just before the beginning of Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims. This comes five months after two Muslim women were stabbed in front of the Eiffel Tower, in which information was only spread by the family and friends of the victims (AlJazeera). France’s new amendments have been met with resentment on social media, as #Hands off my Hijab is trending worldwide. The social media movement calls for the Muslim community and allies to stand up against all forms of religious oppression, as people making such claims likely have not learned the truth about Islam (Mohamed). The notion that Muslims are oppressed and that their religion is discriminatory is framed throughout society.

Firstly, Islamophobia is normalized in Western culture due to the villainization of Muslim characters in mainstream media. A prime example would be Nadia from the Netflix show Elite, in which the removal of her hijab was played across as a sign of feminism and empowerment -- qualities that Muslim women do attach to the hijab. The lack of representation, in addition to poor representation of Muslims, only feeds into negative stereotypes that have been consistent since the tragedies of September 11, 2001–even before and beyond. When television shows, movies, books, and any other form of media continue to play the “oppressed Muslim” trope, it continues the exacerbation of Islamophobia. 

Islamophobia is so predominantly established in society, that Muslim women consequently have to constantly think about their actions, how they speak, and their overall surroundings, because they feel the pressure of accurately representing their community (Hagi). This comes with regularly hearing microaggressions, or the fear of someone attacking their mosque, or that their country might ban Muslims or aspects of their religion all together. Muslim girls are told to not wear their hijab to school because it “threatens” classmates and faculty, and that it could possibly attribute to the wrongful action of their own peers. Such language reduces a child to nothing; they are not viewed as a person of faith, nor respected as such either (Katebi). 

Many Muslim families put their children in all or predominantly Muslim schools to protect their children from the possibilities of being verbally and/or physically assaulted because of their faith. There is also a fear of their children being used as the token Muslim when discussing Islamophobia. They fear mentions of “Osama Bin Laden” or “go back to where you came from.” They fear their young hijabi girls having their scarves pulled. Islamophobia isn’t as small as being questioned why you dressed modestly and it isn’t as big as being beaten up. Islamophobia can fall anywhere, and it’s so reinforced that Muslims will often invalidate their experiences out of fear of not being believed (Hagi). 

In terms of France’s latest actions, the history of France’s Islamophobia and colonialism runs deep, but the issue cannot, and should not, be placed solely on France (Yasar). Islamophobia is a global, societal issue—like many other forms of injustice—that acts as the antidote of progressing towards equality. April is a month of advancing change with the ultimate goal of equality. Ironically, this month began with laws that target the Muslim community. We, together as developing leaders and peacebuilders, must combat Islamophobia, along with the continuous forms of racism and xenophobia, in order to progress our society to equality. 

It’s evident that Islamophobia is not a new issue and, unfortunately, is not one that will disappear soon. Nonetheless, to any youth that may be reading this: you are the future. LeadPeace’s goal is in its name: to inspire our future leaders and peacemakers. By educating yourself on Islamophobia and issues like it, you are the change. Spreading awareness, speaking up for Muslims (rather than over), and promoting peace between communities will have more of an impact than you think. After all, April is the month of equality, so we must strive for such, for all. 

Works Cited:

Beardsley, Eleanor. “French Senate Voted To Ban The Hijab For Minors In A Plea By The Conservative Right.” NPR, NPR, 8 Apr. 2021, www.npr.org/2021/04/08/985475584/french-senate-voted-to-ban-the-hijab-for-minors-in-a-plea-by-the-conservative-ri.  

Hagi, Sarah. “The Dangerous Normalization of Islamophobia.” GQ, GQ Magazine, 19 Mar. 2019, www.gq.com/story/islamophobia-christchurch-attack.  

Katebi, Hoda. “Writer, Entrepreneur, and Activist Hoda Katebi on France's Proposed Hijab Ban.” Vogue, Vogue Magazine, 15 Apr. 2021, www.vogue.com/article/france-hijab-ban-hoda-katebi-personal-essay.  

“'Law against Islam': French Vote in Favour of Hijab Ban Condemned.” Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English, 9 Apr. 2021, www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/9/a-law-against-islam.  

Mohamed, Rawdah. “Hands Off My Hijab.” World Hijab Day, WorldHijabDay.com, 10 Apr. 2021, www.worldhijabday.com/hands-off-my-hijab/.     

“Two Women Stabbed at Eiffel Tower in Apparent Racist Attack.”  Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera English, 22 Oct. 2020, www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/10/22/two-women-stabbed-under-eiffel-tower-in-apparent-racist-attack.  

Yasar, Abdulaziz A. “France's Islamophobia and Its Roots in French Colonialism.” TRTWorld, TRTWorld, 9 Apr. 2019, www.trtworld.com/magazine/france-s-islamophobia-and-its-roots-in-french-colonialism-25678.