France to ban Muslim abayas in schools, education minister says

France is to ban students from wearing the abaya, a long over-garment robe traditionally worn by some Muslim women, in schools, Education Minister Gabriel Attal told French broadcaster TF1 on Sunday evening. During the televised interview, he said that he would be holding talks "as soon as next week" with the heads of schools to help them enforce the ban.

In France, heated discussions erupted in recent months about whether the garments are religious symbols and should therefore be banned in schools.

The law in France, a secular country, imposes strict separation between the state and religion. It is estimated that between 3.5 million and 6 million Muslims live

in the country of 67 million.

The public display of symbols seen as religious has repeatedly provoked controversy, in particular where Islam is concerned. In 1994, a law was passed that allowed only discreet religious symbols in schools.

Ten years later, the donning of headscarves was completely banned in schools, however, the kippa and cross were not. In 2010, the ban on full-face veils in public followed.    (dpa)