Veil ban stays

The week's news at a glance.

Paris

France said this week that it would not give in to hostage takers who want the country to repeal its ban on head scarves in schools. Insurgents in Iraq took two French journalists hostage last week and demanded that France allow Muslim girls to wear scarves in public schools. All crosses, yarmulkes, head scarves, and other religious symbols are banned in schools under France’s laws on secularism. French Muslim groups oppose the ban, but they all condemned the Iraqi kidnapping. “This is a national debate that should be settled at a national level,” said Abdelaziz Jawari, a member of France’s Committee for the Muslim Religion.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us