On March 30, the majority members of France’s Senate voted to outlaw hijabs on Muslim women under the age of 18 in public spaces in France. Naturally, Muslims, and non-Muslim allies across the globe took to Twitter to voice their outrage, dismay and outright incredulity. Here are 10 Tweets that summarise some of the sentiments felt as a result of this curtailing of female freedoms:
Firstly, users pointed out that that banning headscarves ironically infringes upon a woman’s freedom to dress how she wishes. While those who oppose the hijab often believe it is a sign of oppression, it is the legal banning of garments that women choose to wear, that oppresses them:
The drawbacks of white feminism became all too clear, as some users pointed out that feminism should be inclusive of all women and their rights, and not discriminatory to those women who choose to cover up as opposed to baring their skin:
Many users across social media used graphics to illustrate the double standards at play:
Many others called out the French government and its policies for being blatantly Islamophobic:
While others looked at other recent legislation that places the age of consent for sex at 15, bewildered that a 15-year old may legally have sexual relations but may not cover her hair in public:
The “Separatism Bill” that proposes the ban on hijabs on women under 18 also includes other “conspicuous religious sign by minors”. Some pondered how these legal rulings would be welcomed by young women of faiths other than Islam:
One of our favourite one-liners questioned how France, once known as the fashion capital of the world, could be so threatened by a fashion accessory:
And finally, users took to express their overall disillusionment with France, vowing to boycott French products and even halt all travel to the nation, indicating that the country may very well suffer tourism numbers as a result of this discriminatory ruling:
