Girl sent home for wearing skirt raises ire

Sarah, a Muslim pupil, was banned from her school in France for wearing a long skirt.

Sarah, a Muslim pupil, was banned from her school in France for wearing a long skirt.

Published May 3, 2015

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Durban - There was a public outcry on social media this week after a 15-year-old French Muslim girl was banned from school for wearing a long skirt reflecting her religious affiliation.

Social media users took to platforms like Facebook and Twitter to start a campaign using the hashtag #JePorteMaJupeCommeJeVeux which means “I wear my skirt as I like” in English.

The incident happened in the north-eastern town of Charleville-Mezieres, where a schoolgirl named Sarah was sent home twice this month because of her “conspicuous” appearance.

Young South African Muslims expressed their disappointment and others said they were concerned that France was becoming an “anti-Islamic” nation.

One user, Salma Khan, said: “First it was the scarf and now it is the skirt. I am not sure how far France will go with racism towards Muslims.”

Zainab Mia said: “Runway models wear long skirts/models & it’s haute couture, but a Muslim does it and it’s a threat to secularism. Ridiculous.”

Durbanite Tasneem Dawood said: “Shame on you, France! So much for freedom of expression. It is times like this that I am proud to be South African.”

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Sunday Tribune

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