The hijab ban in France — 20 years on

The World

It’s been 20 years since France introduced a law banning the hijab and other religious symbols in schools. But two decades later the issue is more divisive than ever. Last month, the French government said it plans to sue a student involved in a row with a school principal over the wearing of the Islamic headscarf. And at this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, French athletes will be prohibited from wearing the hijab or any other religious symbol while competing. The World’s Europe correspondent Orla Barry reports from Paris.

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