NICE, France—Nawel Moumen, a 13-year-old French Muslim, was taken aside last spring by the dean of her middle school. Muslim leaders said the very definition of what constitutes an abaya is vague, opening the door to discrimination against Muslim students. “We are not stopping them from believing in a religion, but there is no place for these symbols at school," Macron said last week. Laïcité grew out of the centurieslong battle with the Roman Catholic Church over the influence it once wielded in public life, particularly the public school system. Write to Noemie Bisserbe at noemie.bisserbe@wsj.comView Full Image Ban on Muslim Dress in Schools Stokes Culture War in FranceView Full Image Ban on Muslim Dress in Schools Stokes Culture War in France

Source: The North Africa Journal September 14, 2023 16:35 UTC