In 2011 France became the first European country to ban the burka, the niqab and other full face and body coverings worn by some Muslim women.
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Among causes he is championing are bans on the Islamic veil in universities, in dealings with the public services and in workplaces, the tightening of family reunification rules, and the prohibition of pork-alternative menus for Muslim and Jewish children’s lunches in state schools.
In stark contrast to Sarkozy, Juppe condemned the febrile atmosphere surrounding the issue of the burkini bans which were introduced by around 30 towns in the wake of two more Islamist attacks in France this summer.
The bans grew increasingly controversial as images circulated online of some Muslim women being ordered to remove body-concealing garments on French Riviera beaches.
The court’s ruling, which said the ban violates civil liberties, including freedom of movement and religious freedom, could affect more than 30 French towns that have also banned the swim attire, which is created to cover everything but the face, hands, and feet.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who plans to run again for the nation’s top job, have supported the bans.
“I think we’re going to progress here in the next few weeks to build. new institutions and new relationships between French Muslims and the government”, Cazeneuve told the Associated Press.
Why were they banned?
Critics of the bans have said they unfairly targeted Muslims and stirred up fear in the wake of deadly terrorist attacks in France and elsewhere in Europe.
He then said “it’s about respecting the dignity of people; it’s about respecting the dignity of women”.
The bans have triggered a fierce debate about women’s rights and the French state’s strictly-guarded secularism.
National Front leader Marine Le Pen said the overturning of the ban was “not surprising” but the battle was not over. “It is contrary to the freedom of religion, which is a fundamental freedom”.
The government also previously banned Muslim headscarves and other “conspicuous” religious symbols in French schools in February 2004.
The decision came after civil rights groups lodged a complaint in the Conseil d’Etat, the country’s highest administrative court.
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But the majority of mayors who imposed the ban have refused to lift it despite the court’s ruling. Ange-Pierre Vivoni, who banned the burkini earlier this month, told BFM-TV on Friday: “Here the tension is very, very, very strong and I won’t withdraw it”.
