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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
National
RFI

New French education minister bans abaya dresses in schools

Gabriel Attal France Muslim
French newly appointed Minister of Youth and Education Gabriel Attal visited the construction site of the "Bois de l'Etang" elementary school, damaged during protests following the killing of Nahel, in La Verrieres, west of Paris, on 21 July 2023. AFP - ALAIN JOCARD

France will ban children in state-run schools from wearing loose-fitting, full-length robes known as abayas, worn by some Muslim women. This is the first major announcement from new education minister Gabriel Attal, who spoke to French media on Sunday ahead of the back-to-school season.

"I have decided that the abaya could no longer be worn in schools," Education Minister Gabriel Attal said in an interview with television channel TF1 on Sunday.

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