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Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Sister, first of all, we’d like to say that we are impressed by your question, which emanates from a thoughtful heart. May Allah Almighty help us all adhere to the principles of this true religion, Islam, and enable us to be among the dwellers of Paradise in the Hereafter. Ameen.
Regarding your question, it should be clear that Muslims in France are to remain steadfast and ask for their rights using all the available legal and constitutional means. They must never despair; Allah will surely help them if they help themselves. Muslim parents should spare no efforts in bringing up their children on the teachings of Islam.
In his response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
I don’t think you should emigrate from France to another country because of the ban on hijab. If Muslims were required to emigrate from a country simply because of such restrictions, then we will have to keep on moving from one country to another until we may be left with no country to move to. For, when judged by the ideal standards of Islam, no country, including those which claim to be following the laws of Islam, can be considered fully Islamic in any real sense; all of them enforce one kind of restrictions or another on genuine Islamic practice. Therefore, we are only required to do what we are able to do in the given circumstance we are living, while cherishing the intention and striving, as best as we can, to realize God’s mandate in full measure.
In the Glorious Qur’an, Allah says, (So fear Allah as best as you can, and listen, and obey, ) (At-Taghabun 64:16) and (Allah does not charge a soul with more than it can bear ) (Al-Baqarah 2:286).
Also, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Shun the sins I have forbidden, while trying to do what I have bidden as best as you can.”
So never despair; accept your condition as simply one of those trials, the like of which all those who strive to remain steadfast to the teachings of Islam must face in one form or another. It should help us to know that the laws of Islam were not revealed all at once in Madinah; rather they were revealed in gradual stages. So hold firmly to the teachings that you can adhere to firmly, but as for those which you are unable to adhere to because of circumstances beyond your control such as the restrictions on hijab, seek to change them by using the peaceful methods that are constitutional in the country you live in. You must do so by working in solidarity with all of the democratic and peace-loving people in the country, regardless of their religious or ethnic affiliations, who are working to change such unjust laws, with the hope and trust in Allah that ultimately Allah will grant us success if we are sincere in serving Him. Allah says, (As for those who strive in Our Cause, We will guide them to our Paths; and verily Allah is with those who behave with excellence ) (Al-`Ankabut 29:69). Read also:
Hijab: Religious Symbol or Obligation?
Alternatives for French Muslim Girls after Hijab Ban
Banning Hijab: Equality or Discrimination?
Hijab in France: Suggested Courses of Action
Lesser Hijab for French Muslim Women: Acceptable?
If you are still in need of more information, don’t hesitate to contact us. Do keep in touch. May Allah guide us all to the straight path!
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