France: Muslim girl prevented from entering school in long skirt

A Muslim teenager girl who was twice banned from class for wearing a long black skirt has sparked fresh outcry in France.

The 15-year-old girl, identified as Sarah, was asked by the head teacher to return to the school, situated in the north eastern town of Charleville-Mézières, in a less openly religious outfit.

The head teacher believed the long skirt "conspicuously" reflected the girl's religious affiliation –a practice that is banned in schools across France.

Meanwhile, local education official Patrice Dutot told AFP News on Tuesday (28 April): "The girl was not excluded, she was asked to come back with a neutral outfit and it seems her father did not want the student to come back to school."

According to Dutot, the girl who usually wears a veil, used to remove her head covering before entering the school, in line with the French law on secularity.

In her defence, Sarah said: "[The skirt was] nothing special, it's very simple, there's nothing conspicuous. There is no religious sign whatsoever."

All forms of religious clothing and accessories, including veils, Stars of David and crosses, have been banned in schools across France, with the exception of "discreet religious signs", according to a 2004 law on secularity that bans wearing conspicuous religious symbols in French public primary and secondary schools.

Meanwhile, social media was a storm in support of Sarah with hashtag ‪#JePorteMaJupeCommeJeVeux‪ translated in English as 'I wear my skirt as I want'.