The UN requests France to review the hijab ban

According to Isna, these experts announced in a statement that the decisions of the French football and basketball federations to exclude hijab-wearing players from competitions, including at the amateur level, and the decision of Paris to prevent the presence of French hijab-wearing athletes to represent this country in the Paris Olympics, are “disproportionate.” and discriminatory” and violates their rights to freely express their identity, religion or beliefs.

According to Anatolia News agency, the statement continued: “Muslim women and girls who wear hijab should have equal rights to participate in cultural and sports life and participate in all aspects of French society of which they are a part.”

These UN experts also emphasized that the French authorities “have not taken any steps to ensure that the bans adopted by sports federations are proportionate and based on reasons recognized in international law to justify the restriction of human rights.”

They also urged France to respect international standards in protecting individuals’ freedom of expression and religion, and added: “The neutrality and secular nature of the state is not a legitimate reason to impose restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief.”

The statement of these experts follows the recent decision of the highest administrative court of France, which supports the policy of the football federation of this country to ban the hijab in sports matches.

UN experts also argued that the ruling, along with a proposed bill to be submitted to the French Senate in March 2024, could discriminate against Muslim women who wear religious clothing.

In the face of increasing intolerance and labeling, these experts asked France to protect women who choose the hijab and concluded: “France must take all the measures at its disposal to protect these people, protect their rights and promote Adopt equality and mutual respect for cultural diversity.

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