Amnesty International has called on French lawmakers to reject a bill that seeks to ban headscarves and other religious symbols in sports competitions. The proposed legislation, which will be debated in the French Senate this week, aims to prohibit any clothing or symbols displaying religious affiliation in all sports disciplines across France.
The organization argues that the bill, under the guise of protecting secularism, disproportionately targets Muslim women and further restricts their access to public spaces.
The human rights organization emphasized that France has a history of discriminatory policies regulating Muslim women’s attire, with sports federations enforcing headscarf bans in various disciplines. Amnesty warned that if passed, the bill would fuel racism and contribute to an increasingly hostile environment for Muslims in France.
Researcher Anna Blus noted that the ban on headscarves for French athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games had already sparked global criticism, and extending the prohibition would only deepen religious discrimination.
Critics of the bill, including sociologist Haifa Tlili and professional basketball player Helene Ba, argue that there is no legitimate justification for banning Muslim women from sports. They warn that the legislation could lead to widespread stigmatization, loss of self-confidence, and a decline in women’s participation in sports.
While the French Football Federation currently bans headscarves, the Handball Federation permits them. The proposed law, introduced by Senator Michel Savin, seeks to extend the prohibition nationwide, also banning collective prayers in publicly funded sports facilities.
