Amnesty International urges French lawmakers to reject headscarf ban in sports This is racism, Islamophobia, and discrimination

The Turkish Anadolu Agency has published an article highlighting Amnesty International’s call for French lawmakers to reject a bill that seeks to ban religious symbols, including headscarves, in all sports competitions. The human rights organisation warns that the proposed legislation would further marginalise Muslim women and exacerbate discrimination. Caliber.Az reprints the piece.

Amnesty International has called on French lawmakers to reject a bill that seeks to ban headscarves and other religious symbols in sports competitions.

The bill, which proposes banning clothing and symbols displaying religious affiliation in all sports disciplines in France, will be debated in the French Senate this week.

Amnesty International highlighted that while the principle of secularism in the French Constitution theoretically protects everyone’s right to religious freedom, it has often been used to restrict Muslim women's access to public spaces.

The global human rights organization pointed out that French authorities have historically implemented discriminatory laws and policies regulating Muslim women's attire, with sports federations enforcing headscarf bans across various disciplines.

It warned that if the bill is passed, it will fuel racism and increase the “hostile environment” towards Muslims in France.

A report published by Amnesty International ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games indicated that banning Muslim women from freely participating in sports could have significant negative effects on their mental and physical well-being.

Amnesty International researcher Anna Blus noted that the ban on headscarves for French athletes at the Paris Olympic Games had already sparked international criticism.

She emphasized that six months later, French authorities are not only maintaining this discriminatory ban but also attempting to extend it to all sports disciplines.

Blus said that while the ban is being enforced under the guise of protecting secularism, in reality, it targets Muslim women specifically.

"If Muslim women wear a headscarf or any religious attire, they will be banned from all sports competitions," she said.

She also warned that framing headscarves as a threat to secularism is extremely dangerous and that this bill would exacerbate religious discrimination and racism against Muslim women in France.

"All women have the right to choose what they wear," she said, linking headscarf bans in sports to Islamophobia.

No justification for banning Muslim women from sports

Haifa Tlili, a sociologist and co-founder of the Basketball for All community, also criticized the ban, saying there is no objective evidence to justify banning Muslim athletes from wearing sports headscarves.

"It is therefore wrong to claim that rules excluding Muslim female athletes are necessary, and there is no legitimate justification for this," Tlili said.

Helene Ba, co-founder of the same organization and a professional basketball player, warned that the proposed law would have devastating effects on Muslim women, leading to humiliation, stigmatization, trauma, withdrawal from sports, loss of social connections, declining self-confidence, the disappearance of women's teams and threats to sports clubs.

Headscarf ban in sports competitions

While the French Football Federation prohibits headscarves in sports matches, the French Handball Federation permits them.

The bill, introduced last year by Senator Michel Savin, aims to extend the ban on religious symbols—including headscarves—to all sports competitions in France.

In addition to the headscarf ban, the proposed legislation also seeks to prohibit collective prayers in publicly funded sports facilities.