Muslim girl was kicked out of class

According to French media reports, a 15-year-old French Muslim girl was banned from her class twice for wearing a skirt that was too long, and therefore supposedly a conspicuous display of religion. France's state secularism has led to very strict laws prohibiting students from wearing overtly religious symbols in institutions of education.

The student, identified as Sarah, already apparently removed her headscarf before entering the school, in accordance with French law. But her long skirt was deemed a "provocation," and potential act of protest.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/04/29/a-french-muslim-girl-was-kicked-out-of-class-because-her-skirt-was-too-long/

This is puzzling, in that a long skirt is not normally thought of as a religious symbol.  I think it's more like a prohibition of "gang colours" in a school.  It's not so much the length of the skirt or the colour of the clothing, as a local association of that style with a particular religion/gang.

I wonder if there is more to the story than we're reading in the news.  Suppose, for instance, that a local imam decreed that since Muslims were not allowed to overtly identify their religion in the usual ways, that all Muslim women should be required to wear long black skirts.  That would be a different sort of "enforced conformity", as Tim put it, and then I could understand the school stepping in.

I'm not saying that's the case -- I'm just trying to imagine a rational explanation for what otherwise seems pretty irrational.

P.S.: maybe my speculation isn't too far off the mark.  From the France24 report:

But the regional education office hinted in a statement that wearing the skirt could have been part of a concerted "provocation."

"When it comes to concerted protest actions by students, which follow other more visible incidents linked for instance to wearing the veil, the secular framework for education must be firmly reminded and guaranteed," it said.

And to be clear: I'm not taking sides in this.  I'm just saying that there may be two sides to it.  I'll wait till I have more information before saying too much more.


Edited by Ron Webb - 30 April 2015 at 10:26am

abuayisha wrote: Islamophobia.

More like longskirtophobia.  Since when is a long skirt a symbol of Islam?

Isn't it up to her how long her skirt should be ?