Banned from the Field: Is France's Hijab Law Targeting Muslim Women?

France’s move to extend its hijab ban from the Paris Olympics to all sports has ignited international condemnation, with critics decrying it as a blatant violation of human rights. 

The bill, currently under debate in the French Senate, aims to prohibit all “ostensibly religious” clothing and symbols in sporting competitions across the country. 

If passed, the law would apply to sports federations, their affiliated bodies, professional leagues, and even swimming pools, leaving Muslim women who wear the hijab effectively sidelined from competitive sports. 

The proposed legislation is being championed by Michel Savin, a senator from the conservative Les Republicains party. Justifying the move, Savin stated, “There is a desire to create a community withdrawal by mixing sport and religious practice, which in my opinion is contrary to the practice of sport.”

However, critics argue that the law is a discriminatory overreach in the name of secularism. 

Amnesty International’s researcher on gender justice in Europe, Anna B?us, condemned the measure, stating, “At the Paris Olympics, France’s ban on French women athletes who wear headscarves from competing at the Games drew international outrage. Just six months on, French authorities are not only doubling down on the discriminatory hijab ban but are attempting to extend it to all sports.” 

Activists warn that the bill disproportionately targets Muslim women and girls, stripping them of their right to participate in sports while wearing the hijab. Amnesty International’s report on the subject found that France stands alone in Europe in enforcing such restrictive policies. 

Helene Ba, a basketball player and co-founder of the advocacy group Basket Pour Toutes, detailed the damaging effects of hijab bans: “This new law would have appalling consequences for Muslim women and girls: humiliation, stigmatization, trauma, withdrawal from sport, breakdown of social ties, loss of self-confidence, disappearance of women’s teams, endangerment of clubs.” 

Similarly, sociologist and fellow Basket Pour Toutes co-founder Haifa Tlili criticized the lack of factual justification for the ban, asserting, “There is no objective data to justify decisions that severely restrict the freedoms of Muslim female license-holders who decide to wear sports headgear.” 

This is not the first time France has sought to regulate Muslim women’s attire in public spaces. Over the years, the country has enacted laws that effectively police Muslim women’s clothing under the guise of “laicite,” or secularism. 

Sports federations have followed suit, imposing hijab bans in several disciplines, despite international sporting bodies having no such restrictions. 

The backlash against France’s hijab bans has been loud and widespread. The United Nations has condemned the measures as “disproportionate and discriminatory” and called for their reversal. 

Amnesty International, along with other human rights organizations, has urged French lawmakers to reject the bill, warning that it “fuels racism and reinforces the growing hostile environment facing Muslims and those perceived to be Muslim in France.” 

 Diaba Konate moved to the United States, to play basketball, in 2018 after the country implemented a national hijab ban

 

The controversy surrounding France’s hijab policies gained global attention during the Paris 2024 Olympics when the country enforced a ban on religious symbols for its athletes. 

This sparked widespread criticism, particularly after French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla was initially barred from attending the opening ceremony due to her hijab. After heated discussions, she was eventually permitted to wear a cap instead, a compromise that many saw as insufficient. 

With this new law, critics argue that France is not only failing to address concerns over discrimination but is actively intensifying them. 

Amnesty International’s B?us reiterated, “To equate the wearing of a headscarf with ‘an attack on secularism’ is not only absurd but dangerous and would only serve to create division this proposed law purports to want to tackle.” 

Blus added, “All women have the right to, choose what to wear. The sports hijab bans in France are yet another measure underpinned by Islamophobia and a patriarchal attempt to control what Muslim women wear. This bill must be rejected.” 

As the Senate prepares for a final vote, the world watches closely. The outcome will not only determine whether Muslim women in France can continue participating in sports but will also serve as a reflection of the country’s commitment—or lack thereof—to upholding human rights and equality for all.