Les Hijabeuses is a French collective which advocates for the rights of

Muslim women The experiences of Muslim women ( ''Muslimāt'', singular مسلمة ''Muslimah'') vary widely between and within different societies. At the same time, their adherence to Islam is a shared factor that affects their lives to a varying degree a ...

to wear

hijab In modern usage, hijab ( ar, حجاب, translit=ḥijāb, ) generally refers to headcoverings worn by Muslim women. Many Muslims believe it is obligatory for every female Muslim who has reached the age of puberty to wear a head covering. While ...

while playing

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

. The group was founded in May 2020 rising to prominence because of their opposition to legislation which would have codified a ban on wearing hijab while playing organized sports.

History

Les Hijabeuses was founded in 2020 in response to the

French Football Federation The French Football Federation ( FFF; french: Fédération Française de Football) is the governing body of football in France. It also includes the overseas departments ( Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Mayotte and Réunion), the over ...

ban on wearing hijab during competitive football games. Some members of the collective, which is composed primarily of young Muslim women, had been forced to give up their competitive football careers or faced other opposition when playing because of the FFF ban. Players argued the ban conflicted with

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

rules which have allowed women to play in hijab since 2014. The collective campaigned against the ban and organized a protest at FFF headquarters in July 2021. In January 2022, the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

voted on and passed a conservative amendment that banned "ostensible religious symbols" in competitive sports, effectively codifying the FFF ban. Legislators supporting the amendment claimed that hijabs were tied to radical Islam and the ban was required to maintain secular neutrality. Les Hijabeuses argued that this neutrality conflicted with their

freedom to worship Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...

. Les Hijabeuses began lobbying against the amendment attracting public attention, including a letter of support signed by

Eric Cantona Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona (; ; born 24 May 1966) is a French actor, director, producer, and former professional footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Cantona is credited as having made Manchester United a d ...

Lilian Thuram Ruddy Lilian Thuram-Ulien (; born 1 January 1972) is a French former professional footballer who played as a defender. He began playing football professionally in his homeland with Monaco and played in the top flight in France, Italy and Spai ...

, and others. The amendment was withdrawn when it became clear it would not pass the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...

, which is controlled by President Macron's

En Marche! Renaissance (RE), previously known as La République En Marche ! (frequently abbreviated LREM, LaREM or REM; translated as "The Republic on the Move" or "Republic Forward"), or sometimes called simply En Marche ! () as its original name, is a l ...

(LREM) party. The group's protests have caused controversy within the French government and LREM, as '' laïcité'' (secularism) remains a divisive topic. Élisabeth Moreno, France's gender equality minister, spoke out in favor of the group saying that French law did not prohibit playing sports while wearing hijab. Afterwards Gabriel Attal, the

spokesperson A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman, is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...

for President Macron's government, said that Moreno's statements did not reflect the official position of the government. Two other ministers ( Bruno Le Maire and

Marlène Schiappa Marlène Schiappa (, ; born 18 November 1982) is a French writer and politician who served as Minister Delegate in charge of Citizenship, attached to the Minister of the Interior, in the government of Prime Minister Jean Castex (2020–2022) an ...

) came out in favor of the amendment. After the Senate amendment was removed, Les Hijabeuses challenged the FFF's rule in front of the Conseil d'État. The body is expected to release a decision later in 2022.

References

{{reflist Hijab Women's football in France Law about religion in France

History

See also

References