ban on hijab during competitions in France is “discriminatory” according to UN experts

The ban on the hijab in sport in France is “discriminatory and must be reversed”asked several independent United Nations experts on Monday.

“Muslim girls and women who wear the hijab must have equal rights to participate in cultural and sporting life, and to take part in all aspects of the French society of which they are a part”said three special rapporteurs and the Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls, in a press release. In France, some sports allow the wearing of the veil, others do not.

According to UN experts, who are mandated by the Human Rights Council but do not speak on behalf of the organization, the decisions of the French football and basketball federations to exclude female players from competitions wearing the hijab, including at the amateur level, as well as the government's decision to prevent French athletes wearing hijabs from representing the country at the Paris Olympics, are “disproportionate and discriminatory”.

They believe that these measures “infringe their rights to freely manifest their identity, religion or belief in private and public, and to take part in cultural life”.

Sportswomen selected for the French team were not authorized to wear the veil during the Olympics and Paralympics, in the name of respecting the principle of “secularism”.

“During the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the wearing of signs or outfits of a religious nature is prohibited for members of the French team in application of the principle of neutrality”had detailed the Ministry of Sports in a note from June 2024, which recalled the jurisprudence of the Council of State, the highest French administrative body. This ban did not concern sportswomen from foreign delegations.

But for UN experts, who indicate that they have communicated with the government about this situation, “state neutrality and secularism are not legitimate grounds for imposing restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief”.

“In a context of intolerance and strong stigmatization towards women and girls choosing to wear the hijab, France must take all measures at its disposal to protect them, ensure their rights and promote equality and mutual respect for cultural diversity”they argue.