The hijab ban on French female athletes at the Paris Olympics is considered “disturbing”, “unfair” and a “human rights violation” by athletes and Human Rights Watch. France's secular laws prohibit athletes from wearing the Islamic headscarf, just as they prohibit state employees and schoolchildren from wearing religious symbols and clothing in public institutions.
The law banning the use of religious symbols and clothing in schools and public institutions also applies to France's Olympic athletes because they are on a “public service mission”, French government officials say.
“When our athletes represent the French team, they embody public service. They embody the principle of neutrality associated with public service, so they cannot use religious or political symbols. This does not come from us, it is not our vision, it is not the desire of the government, it is really the legal framework defined by our constitution and the principle of constitutional values”, said French sports minister Amelie Oudea-Castera.
In the days leading up to the start of the Paris Olympics, French athlete Sounkamba Sylla was in a battle with her government over the right to wear the hijab at the opening ceremony of the Olympics.
But after a compromise was found, the use of a baseball cap, the 26-year-old runner took part in the French Olympic team parade.
She will run in the first leg of the 4×400-meter relay on Friday. The French Olympic Committee has said she will compete with a hat.
The French athlete of Algerian origin, Saoussen Boudiaf, who represented France in fencing before the Paris Olympics, says that in French society, covering with a hijab is a symbolic act. She now represents Algeria.
“It was also a kind of confirmation to show that it is possible and in no way disrespectful to others. It is something that affects me and that for me has no effect on others. And it also affirms the fact that in a way I am protecting the athletes who cannot compete in the hijab because of France,” she says.
Director of Global Initiatives at Human Rights Watch, Minky Worden, says banning the hijab for athletes is a violation of basic human rights.
“It is also a violation of the fundamental right of religious freedom. Athletes should not be forced to choose between their religion and the sport they love and excel in. This is also a violation of women's rights because these are women who are being discriminated against and excluded from sports”, she says.
Apart from the Olympics, French sports federations decide their own rules: football, basketball and judo prohibit head coverings for competition, while rugby, handball and athletics allow it.
The Olympics have brought into focus the many controversies over the public role of religion and religious symbols in France, the country with the largest Muslim community in Europe.
