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Raffarin secured a majority approval of his ruling party to ban hijab
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By
Reda Hammad, IOL Correspondent
ABU
DHABI, December 3 (IslamOnline.net) - A London-based human rights
advocacy group has launched a worldwide counter-campaign to press the
French government into giving up plans to ban hijab in public
institutions.
The
Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC)
urged Muslims all over the world to write to European officials and
foreign ministers of world countries to take a strong action to stop
the mooted discriminatory bill.
It
also proposed sending similar letters to French President Jacques
Chirac, his Interior Minister Nicolas Sarcozy and French ambassadors.
The
campaign came after French Premier Jean-Pierre Raffarin secured
Friday, November 28, a majority approval of his
ruling party to pass the controversial bill.
The
commission further prepared model letters
to the foreign ministers, ambassadors and other officials.
Monil
Zidan, the director of Zidan Media Consultancy Group, which sponsors
the campaign, told IslamOnline.net it was designed to urge Muslims to
stand up to Islamophobia in Europe, adding that France's anti-hijab
bill was a case in point.
He
described the letters campaign as one of the concrete steps taken to
force the French government to respect Islamic religious symbols and
freedom to religion.
"If
the French government insist on passing such bill, the IHRC will file
a lawsuit before the European human rights tribunal, given that the
discriminatory measure runs counter to human rights enshrined in
relevant E.U. conventions," Zidan asserted.
A
fierce battle has been raging in France’s courts over the
expulsion of girls from schools for refusing to
remove their hijab.
More
recently women are being denied their ID cards and passports unless
they remove their hijab.
Zidan
lamented that Muslims are the weakest minority in Europe, who do not
take a firm action when their rights are breached.
"They
are subject to almost daily maltreatments and injustice; therefore,
the IHRC, in cooperation with other NGOs in Europe, is trying to make
Muslims speak with one voice and act in concert," added the
rights activist.
He
further said that passing the anti-hijab bill in France would serve as
"a legitimate and legal umbrella for anti-Muslims campaigns
launched by racist circles (in Europe)".
Zidan
called on Muslims in the Arab and Islamic worlds to join the campaign
"since the French bill is not only targeting Muslim women in
France, but also Muslim women visiting France".
Set
up in 1997, the IHRC is an independent, non-profit, campaign, research
and advocacy organization, working in partnership with different
organizations from Muslim and non-Muslim backgrounds.
It
campaigns for justice for all peoples regardless of their racial,
religious or political background.
