On Tuesday, January 10th, France’s National Assembly voted overwhelmingly to adopt a law banning all conspicuous religious symbols from state schools beginning in September, following the approval of the Senate.

The danger in passing such a law lies in its ability to limit educational opportunities for youths who value religious symbols as integral to their identities. For Muslim girls who choose to wear the hijab as a fulfillment of a religious obligation and as a form of modesty, this law is a great barrier for their future as citizens in France.

The law does not only deny female Muslims, who wear the hijab, the right to receive public education, it also denies them the right to attend certain universities. Although the legislation does not specifically involve universities, it legitimizes prejudiced actions against those who wear religious symbols in these institutions.

This law has limited my opportunity to participate in an exchange program with one of the most prestigious universities in France because I refuse to compromise on my religious practice of wearing the hijab. I was clearly informed by the university’s administration that I would be asked to remove my headscarf by certain professors while attending classes.

It’s ironic how a woman’s choice of modesty in France is now regarded as an obstacle to her efforts to seek education. The irony is even greater when comparing the policies of the French government and those of the Taliban with regard to women’s education and dress code. Both governments have assumed that Muslim women are mindless, poor creatures who are unable to make decisions for their own welfare. Under both governments, women’s human rights are compromised.

In the case of France, however, the government tries to use a law against visible religious symbols to hide its intolerant policies toward immigrants, especially the Arab/Muslim population. Shortly before proposing the new legislation, France’s National Consultative Commission on Human Rights acknowledged the rise of Islamophobia andanti-Muslim discrimination in the media and the country. The report recognized that for several months now, acts of violence have been aimed at Muslim religious symbols, while “hate books” and certain mass media have targeted Islam.

Regardless of this growing threat to the safety of French Muslim community, the French government decided to further flame the fires of Islamophobia by passing a law that states that the hijab is an unacceptable dress code in public places.

The result was increased hate against the Muslim population. A Muslim clerk in France reported recently that “veiled women were being yelled at on the streets; banks have turned them away because they wear a headscarf and a doctor has put up a sign in his waiting room saying: ‘I refuse to treat veiled women.'” It seems the efforts of Mr. Chirac to integrate the Muslim population have not been very effective.

As I read the results of the vote on the new legislation in France, I was quite happy to learn from the same news issue that Monia Mazigh (who lobbied successfully for the safe return of her husband Maher Arar from imprisonment in Syria) is considering running for federal office after receiving numerous proposals.

I was thankful to know that such opportunities exist for Muslim women in Canada, regardless of their choice of wearing the hijab. I was disappointed to realize, however, that similar chances do not exist for Muslim women in France.

If France truly intends to fight Islamic fundamentalism through passing such a law, it ought to reconsider its own fundamentalist policies against religious minorities.