Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2020 May 23

= May 23 =

At which EU countries is possible for girls to wear hijab ar public schools?
At which EU countries is possible for girls to wear hijab ar public schools? and what about the UK? (which isn't soon a part of the EU)--ThePupil (talk) 17:25, 23 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Two notes re the UK. 1) Unfortunately, we're already out of the EU, and 2) I assume by public schools, you mean government funded ones? That's the opposite of the usage in the UK (which is odd). To answer the question, there's no problem with hijabs in schools here. Fgf10 (talk) 19:51, 23 May 2020 (UTC)
 * According to The Islamic veil across Europe (BBC 2018) the only European (though not EU) country with legal restrictions on the hijab (headscarf) is Turkey; we have an article, Headscarf controversy in Turkey. There are a number of EU countries that have introduced restrictions on wearing full-face coverings - niqab and burqa or burka - but not the UK. According to Islamic dress in Europe; "There are currently 6 nations in Europe that have banned the burqa, Austria, Denmark, France, Belgium, Latvia, and Bulgaria" Alansplodge (talk) 11:58, 24 May 2020 (UTC)
 * You missed the French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools which effectively bans any face coverings or headscarves in public schools (as mentioned in your BBC ref). According to our article, it's also been applied to long skirts. Nil Einne (talk) 12:12, 24 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Thanks Nil Einne, you're quite correct. See Islamic scarf controversy in France. It seems a curious manifestation of La Liberté to me, but there you go. Alansplodge (talk) 12:59, 24 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Many more countries have burqa bans, but the intention behind the laws is masked by presenting them as anti-mask laws. --Lambiam 06:03, 25 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Are the French wearing masks during the COVID-19 pandemic? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 07:00, 25 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Yes, it's "mandatory to wear them on public transport and in secondary schools". However the original question was about Islamic headscarves and not face-coverings. Alansplodge (talk) 12:04, 25 May 2020 (UTC)
 * So, about headscarves: Does this law mean little old ladies can't wear them either? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 20:02, 25 May 2020 (UTC)
 * It makes more sense (which doesn't mean you have to agree with it) if you have a deeper grounding in French history. Under the ancien regime state and Church went hand-in-hand and all schooling was effectively run by the Church. The idea of secular state education was controversial in France throughout the long nineteenth century. --47.146.63.87 (talk) 23:04, 24 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Yes, see 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and the State. It's still odd. Alansplodge (talk) 12:01, 25 May 2020 (UTC)
 * When talking about France, the concept of laïcité is also important to understand.  Seagull123  Φ  18:46, 25 May 2020 (UTC)