Hijab in Public Space and Political Discourse in Contemporary France

DOI: 10.33876/2311-0546/2022-4/123-145

Abstract

Since the 1980s due to the growth of the Muslim community, its insufficient integration into French society, the processes of reIslamization, more and more women in Muslim headscarves began to appear in the streets of French cities. Hijabs have become a visible marker of Muslim identity, at the same time symbolizing processes that are very disturbing for French society — gender inequality, a departure from the principle of secularism, an Islamic threat to democracy, etc. The internal socio-cultural dynamics in France turned out to be such that it was in the issue of secularism where a whole knot of urgent problems related to the problems of integration of Muslim migration was concentrated. The outward manifestation of these problems was the struggle over the issue of wearing Islamic symbols in public space, which began with the “headscarf case” in French schools, where secular education is traditionally given great importance. However, this issue soon went beyond educational institutions, the topic of hijabs found itself at the center of a tense socio-­political struggle, in which representatives of different beliefs clashed — supporters and opponents of bans on wearing hijabs, who understand the principle of secularism in different ways. The topic of Muslim headscarves turned out to be an integral part of highly politicized discourses: about migration in general, about the meaning of the republican principle of secularism and freedom of religion; about gender equality and the victimization of Muslim women; about the principle of the unity of the nation and the prevention of “communitarianism”; about discrimination and “cultural racism” in relation to the cultural norms of Muslims, about the inadmissibility of diktat regarding clothing issues, including coercion of the policy of removing women’s veils, etc. Being one of the most visible symbols of Islam, the hijab is on the border of social norms of different spaces: it is seen as normative in the Muslim traditional community and as marginal for the majority of the French, who share the values of secularism. The article attempts to outline the complexity of political and scientific discussions on the “hijab case”, to explain the fact that it has gained such a greatresonance in French society, causing the adoption of strict legislative measures against Muslim veils; and also to compare the attitude towards the hijab of those who support and oppose wearing it in everyday life.