Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Gaza Ministry of Health: Direct threats to residential areas surrounding hospitals are part of "Israel’s" systematic plan targeting the healthcare system
Gaza Ministry of Health: We renew our urgent appeal to the relevant authorities to intervene and protect healthcare institutions
Gaza Ministry of Health: We warn against reaching the point of a complete collapse of the healthcare system in the southern part of the Strip
Gaza Health Ministry: Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis going out of service would lead to a humanitarian disaster with unpredictable consequences
Palestinian sources: Several displaced Palestinians were reportedly injured after being targeted by occupation forces while waiting for aid west of Rafah
Israeli media: A senior European Union official hinted that 'Israel' would be held accountable for violating international law in Gaza
Al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson Abu Obeida: The losses incurred by the occupation today in Khan Younis and Jabalia are an extension of a series of top-tier operations
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: The invading Israeli force is digging a trench and erecting earthen berms, amid detected activity suggesting preparations to install espionage equipment
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in South Lebanon: An Israeli force breaches the "technical fence" in the Wazzani area
Israeli media: 4 Israeli soldiers killed in the Gaza Strip

France adds Olympics hijab ban to its track record of discrimination against Muslims

  • Haider Rifaat Haider Rifaat
  • Source: Al Mayadeen English
  • 21 Jul 2024 14:13
  • 12 Shares
3 Min Read

France's instances of deep-seated Islamophobia are not mere coincidences or naive mistakes. These are conscious efforts to discriminate against Muslims in an attempt to segregate them from non-Muslims in France.

Listen
  • x
  • France adds Olympics hijab ban to its track record of discrimination against Muslims
    France has long been Islamophobic toward Muslims (Illustrated by Zeinab al-Hajj; Al Mayadeen English)

There is so much that the world gets wrong about Islam, labeling it as an "oppressive", "unjust" religion, primarily for women. This Islamophobic myth is not only tone-deaf; it is a serious misrepresentation of Islam. France recently barred Muslim women from wearing hijab, a protective garment that women wear to symbolize modesty, in this year’s Olympics. Often, wearing a hijab is associated with oppression when in truth, it is a conscious choice made by Muslim women for themselves. 

In hindsight and from a historical standpoint, France has been Islamophobic toward Muslims who constitute 10 percent of the total population. In 2004, the French Senate passed a bill, banning headscarves across public schools. This tragedy was followed by a first-of-its-kind burqa ban in 2010 that restricted Muslim women from wearing a garment that fully covered them from head to toe. According to research, in 2017, only 39 percent of French citizens found Islam to be compatible with France, while more than 75 mosques were under ruthless surveillance by the French government. Workplace discrimination is prevalent, too, affecting Muslims who are less than half as likely to receive an employer response compared to their Christian counterparts. These instances of deep-seated Islamophobia are not mere coincidences or naive mistakes. These are conscious efforts to discriminate against Muslims in an attempt to segregate them from non-Muslims in France. 

French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera made the announcement of the Olympics hijab ban last year. Since France is hosting the Olympics this year, the organizing committee saw an opportunity to target Muslims once again. However, a backlash has grown stronger as the Olympic games draw closer, and rightfully so, because France not only violated the International Human Rights Law, it violated the Olympics Charter, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, sex, and religion. Despite the International Olympic Committee (IOC) upholding nondiscrimination values, the organization has been slow to condemn France’s decision to ban hijabs for Muslim athletes. In fact, the IOC issued a statement, claiming that France’s prohibition on sports hijabs was outside the remit of the Olympic movement, further stating that “freedom of religion is interpreted in many different ways by different states.” 

Olympic games are a measure of muscular strength and athleticism, not religious values that reflect how one chooses to dress. France’s claim of being the first to be gender-equal in this year’s Olympics cycle, achieving a 50:50 male-to-female ratio is hypocritical on many fronts. You cannot achieve gender parity by discriminating against women’s right to wear what they choose. France would never ban bikinis or swimsuits in sports but will be quick to violate a woman’s right to dress modestly in the Olympic games. That is clear-cut gender discrimination based on cultural and religious values. 

It is unknowable why the French government has been so draconian in the past toward millions of Muslims living in the country. Cultural stereotyping and the media’s constant misrepresentation may be contributing factors that are fueling Islamophobic violence. Similarly, France’s anti-Muslim policies and misconduct in the past have negatively shaped public opinion about Muslims and there appears to be a point of no return. 

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect Al Mayadeen’s editorial stance.
  • Sports
  • Olympics
  • Olympic Games
  • Islamophobia
  • France
  • Olympics in Paris
  • Hijab
  • Hijab ban
Haider Rifaat

Haider Rifaat

Journalist, PhD student of Political Science at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, United States and a student affiliate at the East-West Center.

Most Read

All
It may well be due to the longstanding relationship between MI6 and HTS, via Inter Mediate, that Britain was the first Western country to recognise their assumption of government in Syria. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab El-Hajj)

How MI6 helped HTS seize Syria

  • Opinion
  • 31 May 2025
The two countries need to sit down and resolve the crisis with maturity, to consider carefully that they could be being manipulated to be easily dominated. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Algeria and Mali, divided and almost conquered

  • Opinion
  • 25 May 2025
Trump and Biden both pretended to be fighting Netanyahu

Trump and Biden both pretended to be fighting Netanyahu

  • Analysis
  • 28 May 2025
Not only has Germany not learned from its Nazi and bellicose history, it is actively falsifying it by infringing upon long-standing traditions of memory culture. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Nothing learned, nothing gained, Germany is at it again

  • Opinion
  • 3 Jun 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs
Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS