French law banning wearing of hijab will fuel extremism

HIS Excellency Aurélien Lechevallier

The Ambassador of France to South Africa

Dear Mr Lechevallier

We, the undersigned, wish to express our severe disappointment at a proposed amendment to the “separatism bill” in France that would ban girls under the age of 18 from wearing the hijab in public spaces. It appears most unfortunate that France is intent on exclusive and specific discrimination against the second-largest religious group in the world, and its Muslim citizens, in particular.

These proposed laws serve only to entrench divisions, radicalise people, and produce anger and disillusionment against the French state. This provides fertile ground for extremism.

If, ostensibly, the anti-Muslim laws are in response to fear of radicalism, then driving your French Muslims into laagers and treating their religion with scorn and recrimination will serve only to produce the fertile ground for the very issues you ostensibly fear.

We would like you to pass on our message to your government in the hope that it will reconsider not just the proposed laws, but also the way it views Islam and Muslims.

| UNITED ULAMA COUNCIL OF SOUTH AFRICA, MUSLIM JUDICIAL COUNCIL, HOUSE OF UMMAH, MUSLIM YOUTH MOVEMENT, GORDON’S BAY ISLAMIC SOCIETY, MINARA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ISLAMIC PROPAGATION CENTER ISLAMIC, MOVEMENT FOR A UNITED SOUTH AFRICA, HUMANITARIAN DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE SA, NATAL MEMON JAMAAT, JAMIATUL ULAMA MIDLANDS, ISLAMIC DA’WAY MOVEMENT TSHWANE GAUTENG, CHATSWORTH & SURROUNDING DISTRICTS MUSLIM FORUM, AMANZIMTOTI MUSLIM ASSOCIATION, THE MUSLIM WOMAN MAGAZINE, NYLSTROOM MUSLIM COMMUNITY, AS-SALAAM EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE, ANSARUL UMMAH TIL ISLAM, QUEENSBURGH ISLAMIC SOCIETY, UNION OF ARAB COMMUNITY SOUTH AFRICA, CHATSWORTH ISLAMIC FORUM, IMAM DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME, SPRINGS ISLAMIC INSTITUTE, QAASIMUL ILM FOUNDATION, SOUTHERN AFRICA DAWAH NETWORK, MA MOTALA EDUCATION CENTRE, VOICE OF THE CAPE, AHLE SUNNAT WAL JAMAAT, ISLAMIC FORUM, MADRASSAH RAHMANNIYYA TRUST, GREENPEACE LOCAL GROUP (DURBAN), AWAAZ MAGAZINE (NAIROBI, KENYA), EDRIS KHAMISSA, CASSIMS ATTORNEYS, FAWZIA PEER, DR DGH PEER, KASHIV WICOMB, AKSHA SHEIK, ANEESA KHAN, FAROUK ALLY, SALIM GOGA, YUNUS ABRAHAMS, YUSUF MALLIE, MA MODAK, FEISAL A MADARAN, FATHIMA MOOSA, MOHAMED ANWAR HAMID, RIDWAAN ENOUS, NASEEMA PARUK-VAWDA, ASHRAFF EBRAHIM, SS AMOD, PROFESSOR SHAZIA PEER, DR SIMA PEER, DR ANISA PEER, DR NAZIA PEER, I TAYOB, ZAHID JADWAT, MUHAMMED HUSSAIN KHAN, SHAFEEQA GOOLAM HOOSEN, DR SALIM K NOORANI, DR FBY DOCRAT, MOULANA MUHAMMED M RAVAT, AKBAR KHAN, HAFIZ ASIF ESSOP, MOULANA ABUBAKR MTENJE, SALIM KAHAN, ABOOBAKER SEEDAT, RAFIDA KHAN, LAYLA LONGUEIRA- FAROOQ, IMTIAZ KHAN, MEHROON SULEMAN, MUQBIL SEMAAR, MOHAMED ASLAM SHAIK ABDULLA, THAMEENAH DANIELS, SOUTH AFRICAN MUSLIM NETWORK.