{"id":12411,"date":"2024-03-28T18:20:54","date_gmt":"2024-03-28T18:20:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/28\/outcry-in-france-as-principal-steps-down-over-head-scarf-incident\/"},"modified":"2024-03-28T18:20:54","modified_gmt":"2024-03-28T18:20:54","slug":"outcry-in-france-as-principal-steps-down-over-head-scarf-incident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/28\/outcry-in-france-as-principal-steps-down-over-head-scarf-incident\/","title":{"rendered":"Outcry in France as Principal Steps Down Over Head Scarf Incident"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1050\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/04\/28\/multimedia\/28france-headscarf-01-zkpl\/28france-headscarf-01-zkpl-facebookJumbo.jpg?fit=1050,550&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Outcry in France as Principal Steps Down Over Head Scarf Incident\" title=\"Outcry in France as Principal Steps Down Over Head Scarf Incident\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A Paris school principal\u2019s decision to step down after he received online death threats over an incident involving a Muslim student\u2019s head scarf has prompted national outrage this week in France.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Camera crews have descended on the school and the government said it planned to sue the student, accusing her of making false accusations \u2014 the latest flashpoint in a debate <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/09\/15\/world\/europe\/france-abaya-ban-attal.html?searchResultPosition=2\" title=\"\">over French secularism and the treatment of the country\u2019s Muslim minority.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Officials say the incident occurred on Feb. 28 at the Lyc\u00e9e Maurice-Ravel when the school\u2019s principal asked three students to remove their head scarves on school grounds. Two of the students complied, but a third refused, causing an \u201caltercation,\u201d according to the Paris prosecutor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Since 2004, middle and high school students in France have been barred from wearing \u201costentatious\u201d symbols that have a clear religious meaning, like a Catholic cross, a Jewish skullcap or a Muslim head scarf.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The full details of the altercation are unclear. But the incident quickly drew national attention in France, where the perceived encroachment of Islam in the public school system is an extremely sensitive topic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The country remains deeply scarred by the killing of two schoolteachers by Islamist extremists in recent years. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The student told investigators that the principal had pushed her and hit her arm, but the Paris prosecutor\u2019s office said that a complaint she had filed accusing the principal of assault had been dropped over a lack of evidence. The principal filed a separate suit accusing the student of intimidating a public official, the prosecutor\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The government and politicians across the spectrum have defended the principal and disputed the accusations of violence made against him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">French officials have not publicly identified the principal or the student. The regional education authority for Paris said that the student dropped out of the school shortly after the incident.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The controversy began to draw greater national attention last week after the principal decided to step down. In a message to school staff that was shared with the French media, he said he had decided to leave over concerns about his personal safety and the school\u2019s own security.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said that the threats against the principal were \u201cunacceptable\u201d and announced on Wednesday that the government would file a legal complaint against the student, accusing her of trying to \u201cintimidate\u201d the principal by making wrongful accusations of violence against him, leading to a wave of online death threats.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cLa\u00efcit\u00e9 is constantly being put to the test,\u201d Mr. Attal <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=YnWaLzs1HfQ\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">told a national television<\/a> station on Wednesday about the case, referring to France\u2019s version of secularism, which guarantees freedom of conscience but also the strict neutrality of the state and of some public spaces.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Paris prosecutor\u2019s office said it had opened an investigation into the death threats and \u201ccyber-harassment\u201d faced by the principal. Three people have already been arrested, and one of them will face trial next month, the prosecutor\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Attal, who met with the principal on Wednesday, said that the principal was scheduled to retire in June but had decided to step down earlier because of the threats. The prime minister added that the state would be unwavering in its support for \u201call of those who are on the front lines of these attacks on la\u00efcit\u00e9.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In his former position as education minister, Mr. Attal had spearheaded <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/09\/07\/world\/europe\/france-abaya-muslims-school.html?searchResultPosition=1\" title=\"\">a ban in schools of the abaya<\/a>, a loosefitting, full-length robe worn by some Muslim women.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Nicole Belloubet, Mr. Attal\u2019s successor at the ministry, visited the school in early March to express support for the principal, and she assured lawmakers this week that he had been given full legal and moral assistance. Police officers were also deployed in front of the school as a precautionary measure after the incident occurred, she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/ccieurope.org\/2024\/03\/15\/leleve-du-lycee-maurice-ravel-a-paris-brise-le-silence-sur-son-agression-par-le-proviseur\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">a video published<\/a> by the Collective for Countering Islamophobia in Europe \u2014 a Belgium-based activist group that was created after a similar one was disbanded by the government in France \u2014 the student said that the altercation happened as she was leaving school.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Speaking with her face blurred to conceal her identity, the student said that she was starting to cover her head with a hat as she prepared to put on her head scarf when the principal shouted at her to remove it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Before she could comply, she said, the principal \u201cpushed me violently\u201d and \u201chit me hard on the arm,\u201d then he tried to drag her to his office until another student intervened, she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Collective for Countering Islamophobia in Europe condemned the death threats against the principal but accused the French government of \u201cfueling a climate of conflict within schools, pitting teachers, pupils and families against each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe want to reiterate our commitment to the fight against all forms of harassment and discrimination, especially toward Muslim students, who are under undue pressure in the current climate,\u201d the group said in a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/ccieurope.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/CP-Lycee-Maurice-Ravel-2.pdf\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For many in France, the case echoed the chain reaction that led to the killing of <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/10\/15\/world\/europe\/france-samuel-paty-beheading.html?searchResultPosition=5\" title=\"\">Samuel Paty<\/a> in 2020. The history teacher was beheaded in a northwestern suburb of Paris by an Islamist assailant after he showed caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad to his students in an attempt to illustrate free speech.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Paty was murdered less than two weeks after a schoolgirl <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/12\/08\/world\/europe\/france-teacher-beheading.html?searchResultPosition=1\" title=\"\">lied about attending his class<\/a> and made false accusations against him \u2014 setting off a spiral of online rumors that ultimately put the killer on his trail.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The killing last year of <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/10\/17\/world\/europe\/france-teacher-attack-hamas.html?searchResultPosition=6\" title=\"\">Dominique Bernard<\/a>, a French literature teacher who was stabbed to death at a high school in northern France by a radicalized former student, put the country further on edge.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In an interview with<a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_sxru0ypjYQ\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">French television on Thursday<\/a>, Micka\u00eblle Paty, Mr. Paty\u2019s sister, praised the government\u2019s swift reaction to the incident at Lyc\u00e9e Maurice-Ravel. But Ms. Paty, who wants the government to be held responsible for failing to protect her brother, said there was still a \u201clack of awareness\u201d of the threats faced by teachers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A French Senate <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.senat.fr\/salle-de-presse\/dernieres-conferences-de-presse\/page-de-detail-1\/mission-conjointe-de-controle-sur-le-signalement-et-le-traitement-des-pressions-menaces-et-agressions-dont-les-enseignants-sont-victimes-2578.html\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">report<\/a> published this month found there was a worrying rise of insults, threats and physical violence against teachers over the past few years, and it urged the government to increase security and schools and to make it easier for staff to flag worrying incidents to the Education Ministry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A lone camera crew was still lingering in front of the school on Thursday, but the atmosphere was calm. Several students said that they had not witnessed the incident themselves, but were taken aback by the national attention it had received and the rumors it had spawned.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThe rules are the rules, we all signed them at the beginning of the year: it says the head scarf is banned inside the school,\u201d said Yacine Kone, 16. But, she added, the principal \u201cshouldn\u2019t put his hand on a student, even if it\u2019s just to touch her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Ralph Modisa, 15, said the principal had a good reputation with students. \u201cPeople are getting a bit too fired up over nothing,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">S\u00e9gol\u00e8ne Le Stradic contributed reporting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Paris school principal\u2019s decision to step down after he received online death threats over an incident involving a Muslim student\u2019s head scarf has prompted national outrage this week in France. Camera crews have descended on the school and the government said it planned to sue the student, accusing her of making false accusations \u2014 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2024\/04\/28\/multimedia\/28france-headscarf-01-zkpl\/28france-headscarf-01-zkpl-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[9403,8737,17772,17773,17774,442],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12411"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12411"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12413,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12411\/revisions\/12413"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}