Posted on 04/20/2016 8:28:11 AM PDT by MarvinStinson
Students at an elite Paris university sparked fierce debate Wednesday by inviting classmates to wear the Muslim veil for a day in a bid to "demystify" a practice that is highly divisive in France.
Students at Sciences Po urged women to take part in Hijab Day "if you too think all women should have the right to dress as they wish and have their choice respected".
France is grappling with rising Islamophobia after a wave of terror attacks by jihadists, and the students' Facebook page said that those agreeing to put on the veil would "experience the stigmatisation experienced by veiled women in France".
A dozen students handed out flyers at the university by a table covered in colourful headscarves with a sign reading: "France got 99 problems but Hijab ain't one", adapted from a hit by US rapper Jay Z.
"It is to raise awareness, open the debate and give the floor to women who are often debated on in public but rarely heard," said Laetitia, one of the organisers.
Another student, Imen, said she wore a veil for the first time Wednesday morning on the metro and felt "stares" in her direction.
The organisers' Facebook page lashed out at Prime Minister Manuel Valls who earlier this month said the veil was being used as a political symbol for the "enslavement of women".
France has banned the full-face veil in public places, and Valls said the headscarf was being used by some as a challenge to the country's prized secular society.
His comments came after the minister for women's rights sparked a furore last month when she compared veiled women to "negroes who accepted slavery".
- 'A sharia day next?' -
The Sciences Po initiative, which trended at the top of French Twitter under the hashtag #HijabDay, drew a mixture of praise and anger.
Former agriculture minister Bruno le Maire, who teaches at Sciences Po and is also angling for the right-wing Republicans party's presidential nomination, expressed his "disapproval" on Twitter.
"In France women are visible. No to proselytising," he wrote.
Writing on its Facebook page, the student wing of the far-right National Front (FN) criticised an initiative coming from a "Parisian middle class disconnected from social reality".
"This initiative is particularly nauseating when women all over the world are fighting to throw off their shackles. In Iran, for example, women have acid thrown in their faces if they don't wear the veil," it said.
Philosopher and author Bernard-Henri Levy tweeted: "Hijab Day at Sc Po. When will there be a sharia day? Stoning? Slavery?"
But a feminist group on campus, Politique'elles, threw its support behind the move.
"Whatever they wear, whether a miniskirt or a veil, (women) are criticised," a group statement said. "Feminism must remain universal to defend all women, independent of their religion, origin or social class."
The university distanced itself from the initiative in a statement on Twitter, saying the fact it was taking place on the campus "should not be interpreted as support."
Surrender day is next.
Paris ,the land of the scarf and 5 o’clock shadow
thank goodness the Nazis did not have the patience islam has.
Had he waited and kept offering olive branches to the west who knows how formidable his military would have been in a few more years?
He was so impatient to invade Russia, luckily.
Muslims would never do that. They are nothing if not patient.
What about Female Genital Mutilation Day?
Forced FGM Day should be a bit hit on campus.
False flag argument. The women are not what is being criticized but Islam and their misogynistic treatment of women, along with the safety issue of covering ones face.
When will they have national bikini day?
There should be a reciprocal mini skirt day at the University of Tehran
Once again, the raggies are the “victims.” Never mind the thousands slaughtered in the name of their false god.
I suppose that's why Islamic countries contribute virtually nothing to science and technology despite numbering in the billions. And the women in Islamic countries are so liberated, right? /s
Liberals encourage, nurture and support anything that is destructive and evil.
What’s the schedule for “Wear the Crucifix Day”?
Great question.
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