France’s hijab bans in sports ‘discriminatory’: UN experts
‘Muslim women and girls who wear the hijab must have equal rights to participate in cultural and sporting life,’ UN experts say.
UN Experts Criticize France's Ban on Hijabs in Sports Competitions
United Nations human rights experts have condemned France's decisions to prohibit women and girls wearing the Muslim headscarf from participating in sports competitions, labeling these actions as “discriminatory” and calling for their reversal.
France has invoked its stringent secularism laws to ban athletes from wearing religious symbols, including the hijab, during the Paris 2024 Olympics. Additionally, the country’s football and basketball federations have chosen to exclude players who wear the headscarf from competitions, even at the amateur level.
In a statement issued on Monday, signed by eight independent UN experts, it was emphasized that these decisions “are disproportionate and discriminatory, and infringe on [the rights of French athletes] to freely express their identity, religion, or beliefs both privately and publicly, and to engage in cultural life.”
The experts asserted, “Muslim women and girls who wear the hijab must have equal rights to participate in cultural and sporting life, and to take part in all aspects of French society.”
The statement was co-signed by UN special rapporteurs on cultural rights, minority issues, and freedom of religion or belief, as well as members of the UN working group on discrimination against women and girls. While these experts are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, they do not represent the UN itself.
France’s secularism laws are designed to maintain state neutrality in religious affairs while ensuring citizens can practice their religion freely. These laws prohibit “ostentatious” religious symbols in schools by both pupils and teachers, as well as by civil servants.
However, the experts argued that “the neutrality and secular nature of the state are not legitimate grounds for imposing restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief.”
They stressed that “any limitations of these freedoms must be proportionate, necessary to achieve one of the objectives stated in international law [such as safety, health, and public order, and the rights and freedoms of others], and justified by facts rather than presumptions, assumptions, or prejudices.”
“In a context of intolerance and significant stigmatization of women and girls who choose to wear the hijab, France must take all necessary measures to protect them, safeguard their rights, and promote equality and mutual respect for cultural diversity.”
The French delegation at the upcoming Paris Olympics did not include any athletes wearing the hijab. Nevertheless, the International Olympic Committee has permitted participants to wear the hijab within the athletes’ village.
