Education minister says France will ban Muslim abaya in schools

French Education Minister Gabriel Attal announced on Sunday that he would ban students from wearing the Muslim abaya dress in state-run schools in the country, adding that he is setting “clear rules at the national level” to be distributed to school principals.

When Attal was asked about the issue, which has been the subject of controversy for months, Attal told TF1 that he is seeking to meet with school officials “as of next week” to help them implement the ban.

Since 19th-century legislation eliminated any traditional Catholic influence from public education, France has strictly prohibited religious signs in state-run schools and has struggled to update regulations alongside a rising Muslim population.

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