Majority of people in France still oppose headscarves in schools

France outlawed Muslim hijabs in schools in 2004 Paris – Arab Today The majority of French people remain opposed to allowing Muslim women to wear veils at school, a poll found. The poll, conducted online by Ifop and published on Friday, found that 78 percent of French people are against Islamic veils being worn at institutes of higher education, Radio France Internationale reported.
Just four percent of respondents said they were in favor of allowing women to wear veils at school. Eighteen percent abstained from responding.
The number of people included in the poll, margin of error, or dates the poll was conducted were not reported.
France followed its 2004 ban on headscarves in schools with a ban on full face veils in public in 2010, alienating many of its Muslim citizens.
Last month, riots broke out in a Paris suburb after police stopped a woman wearing the full face veil.
The poll’s findings follow a report by France's High Council on Integration, published earlier this week in the Le Monde newspaper, called for a ban of "ostentatious" religious symbols in universities.
In a report leaked to the French newspaper Le Monde, the integration council suggested the schools headscarf ban should be extended to universities to counter problems caused by students wearing religious clothing and special menus for Muslims at universities.
French Interior Minister Manuel Valls said the council's report was "of interest".
Source: UPI