France Runs Into A Sticky Wicket Over Their Anti-Hijab Laws For Olympics

Is a hijab required for Muslims? On one hand, a woman only has to wear a hijab if she’s going to be seen by a man who isn’t her husband or a blood relation. On the other, the Qu’ran also states that “there is no compulsion in religion”, which means that Muslims have the choice of how they practice their religion, and some Muslim women choose not to wear a hijab while still observing modesty. Regardless, France bans the wearing of most religious clothing in public, which would apply to the Olympics

France struggles with its hijab rules for Olympics opening ceremony

French government and Olympics officials are seeking a creative solution to allow Muslim French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla to wear her hijab at the opening ceremony while still complying with the country’s secularism laws, they said on Wednesday.

Thousands of athletes, including some who wear a hijab, are arriving for the Paris Olympics, placing an international spotlight on tensions in France over national identity and perceived discrimination against Muslims.

Sylla, part of France’s 400-metre relay team, wrote on her Instagram account on Monday that her hijab – a head covering worn by many Muslim women – would prevent her from appearing in Friday’s blockbuster opening ceremony along the Seine River.

“You are selected for the Olympic Games, organised in your country, but you can’t take part in the opening ceremony because you wear a scarf on your head,” Sylla posted on her account.

Well, that is the law of France. You don’t wear it when you are running. Why are you letting men dictate what you wear? Seriously, your running apparel isn’t exactly “modest” per the dictates of Islam. She plans to wear a cap. So, what’s the problem? The idea here is that a 1st world nation must comply, submit (the root of Islam literally means submission), to the will of Allah. They must change their entire culture, mores, laws, etc, for Islam.

Eager to avoid an embarrassing domestic flap with the entire world watching, French government and Olympics officials said they were willing to find a solution for Sylla, although it remains unclear what that could be.

“Our citizens expect us to follow these principles of secularism, but we also need to be inventive about solutions to make everyone feel good,” Amelia Oudea-Castera, minister for sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, said on Wednesday, adding that Sylla “understands our principles, our rules”.

Foreign athletes are not affected by the secularism rules.

Which is interesting, since women going to Islamic nations must comply with their laws, though, in fairness, those who were at the convention halls for the latest UN IPCC COP didn’t have to wear head coverings in the buildings. Just when they left the grounds.

Maria Hurtado, spokeswoman for the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, criticised the French government in September last year over its stance on the hijab for French athletes during the Olympic Games, saying that “no one should impose on a woman what she needs to wear, or not wear”.

Except, there are rules as to what athletes can wear in every sport, including the Olympics. And, again, in fairness, sometimes those rules are absurd, like how the volleyball women were supposed to wear essentially bikini bottoms.

Regardless, France has been invaded by the Religion of Peace, which has long attempted to change France into a soft caliphate.

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