Islamabad, Oct 29: United Nations Condemns France Hijab Ban for Athletes at 2024 Olympic Game
Human rights experts from the United Nations strongly denounced recent rulings by French authorities that prohibited women and children who wear the hijab from competing in sports on Monday, calling the actions “discriminatory” and called for their reversal.
In anticipation of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France recently banned athletes from donning religious symbols, such as the hijab, citing its stringent regulations on secularism.
Both athletes and governing organizations have expressed disapproval of the decision.
These limitations violate the rights of Muslim women and girls by preventing them from freely expressing who they are and engaging in cultural activities, according to eight independent UN experts, including special rapporteurs on cultural rights, minority issues, and freedom of religion and belief.
They underlined that Muslim women and girls who wear the hijab must have equal rights to engage in all facets of French culture, including cultural and athletic activities.
The France Hijab Ban experts contend that the secularism concept is not a legitimate justification for limiting freedoms of expression and religion, despite France’s insistence that its laws are meant to guarantee state neutrality in religious matters.
“Any restrictions on these liberties must be reasonable, required, and supported by facts rather than by assumptions, biases, or preconceptions,” they declared.
The experts also emphasized that France has a responsibility to defend the rights of women and girls who prefer to wear the hijab, guaranteeing equality and fostering cultural variety in an environment of growing intolerance and stigmatization.
Hundreds of thousands of adolescent girls and women are at risk of quitting sports since the relevant authorities have not yet lifted the Ludacris ban on the headscarf, despite the protests.
