France Implements Ban on Abaya Dress in State Schools

France's Education Minister, Gabriel Attal, announced that the abaya, a loose-fitting robe worn by some Muslim women, will be banned in state-run schools. This decision comes as France grapples with updating guidelines to address its growing Muslim minority. The country has a long-standing ban on religious signs in schools, having prohibited headscarves in 2004 and full face veils in public in 2010. The move to ban the abaya is seen as a defense of secularism, a core value in France, aimed at preventing the identification of students' religious affiliations in the classroom.