French Muslims prepare for headscarves showdown

By: Nabil Raza

PARIS, France: Muslim activists in France are considering court cases, school boycotts and advice hotlines as they prepare for a showdown when a controversial ban on Islamic headscarves comes into effect in state schools this September.

Ignoring a European court ruling that backed a veil ban in Turkey, one large Muslim group pledges advice, legal aid and private tutoring to any girls turned away from school for wearing a headscarf despite the ban on overt signs of faith.

A leading defender of headscarves, a convert named Thomas Abdallah Milcent, is urging pupils and parents to stage week-long strikes protesting against schools barring pious girls who cover their hair as a religious duty.

The Union of French Islamic Organizations (UOIF), an influential group in Europe's largest Muslim minority, said in a statement: “We are ready to provide them moral support, help for dialogue, information about their rights, advice from local activists and legal assistance.”

UOIF President Lhaj Thami Breze said his group would go to court to defend scarf-wearing schoolgirls.

Milcent’s Muslim Defense Fund will open a hotline in August to advise girls who face expulsion from school.

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