Yet another Islamic provocation, the abaya is today at the heart of conflicts around secularism. A growing phenomenon in schoolyards, against which it seems difficult to fight.
“Abaya: the new Islamic fashion that challenges secularism,” - Valeurs Actuelles, June 20, 2023:
“The abaya is wrongly presented by some as a Muslim religious sign”, explained the French Council of Muslim Worship (CFCM) in a press release posted on Twitter on June 11, 2023. Adding: “In the Muslim tradition, a garment whatever it either is not a religious sign in itself. You only have to travel through Muslim-majority countries to realize that the citizens of these countries […] are indistinguishable by the clothes they wear.”…
According to Fadila Maaroufi, the CFCM “plays with words to minimize the scale of the phenomenon and refers to cultural relativism.” This Belgian secular activist, co-founder of the Observatory of Fundamentalisms in Brussels, considers that the abaya, this loose dress intended to hide the forms…
According to Fadila Maaroufi, the whole thing has a clear objective: “To gradually conquer public space and push back secular values in order to impose Islamic norms in our democratic societies.” The Belgian activist warns of a phenomenon that is already deeply rooted in her country: “In Brussels, the extent is such that even non-Muslim girls are forced to wear concealing clothes that cover their arms and upper body up to the neck. If they are considered ‘too exposed,’ they are harassed by boys and some teachers don’t hesitate to remind them of the shame.”