The number of school incidents linked to the wearing of the veil or of an Islamic outfit in middle school and high school rose sharply in France between the first and second quarters of the current school year. This is the finding of the confidential note on violations of the 2004 law on secularism in schools from the Central Territorial Intelligence Service (SCRT). A note published on June 8 and unveiled this Tuesday by our colleagues from RTL.
In this note, the SCRT counts 144 breaches of this law recorded in the second quarter by the Ministry of National Education between January and March 2022 mainly in secondary education, against 97 in the first. The document thus confirms the “multiplication” in recent months of cases of students who refuse to remove their Islamic veil or who wish to wear “traditional” outfits. By “traditional” outfits, the SCRT refers to those that cover the body, such as jilbebs or abayas for girls, or kamis and djellabas for boys.
50% increase compared to the 1st quarter
The SCRT nevertheless displays a certain caution and underlines in its report, the probable influence of the “politico-media context” favorable to “separatist” claims. This is the presidential campaign representing both anti-Islam candidates and others denouncing “institutional Islamophobia”.
The central service reports an episode in a high school in Bordeaux where several young girls “arrived in the establishment wearing abayas on their return from spring vacation”. Another example, in Creuse this time: a pupil presented himself in a “djellaba” and replied that “Friday was a day of prayer” when asked to remove it.
In total, cases have increased by 50% compared to the first quarter of last year when 97 sprains were reported. A significant figure but to relate to the 5.6 million students enrolled in high schools and colleges.