LE BOURGET, France: French Muslims have urged the government to rethink its ban on Islamic headscarves in public schools and to recognize Islamic holy days, reopening a debate most French thought was closed.

The Union of French Islamic Organizations (UOIF), broadest of several groups representing Europe's largest Muslim minority, charged last week that Paris limited religious freedom by expelling veiled schoolgirls and ignoring three Muslim feast days.

France, whose five million Muslims make up eight percent of the population, banned "conspicuous religious signs" in state schools last year.

UOIF Secretary-General Fouad Alaoui also called for official recognition of main Islamic feast days so Muslims did not feel "that their religion does not have the same status as the majority Catholic religion."

Seven of France's 13 legal holidays are Christian holidays. An official panel studying the headscarf issue suggested adding Islamic holidays, but the National Assembly ignored this and just passed the ban the panel also proposed.

Alaoui first spoke of two main holidays, referring to the Eid-ol Fitr and Eid-ol Azha feasts. Later in the day, he named those and added the birthday of the holy Prophet Hazret-e-Mohammed (p).