Turkey condemns controversial French bill

The Foreign Ministry strongly condemned a law that prohibits Muslim women from wearing the headscarf in France while accompanying their children during school trips.
In a statement released on Oct. 31, the ministry warned French officials that the ban could ignite discrimination against Muslims.
"We strongly condemn and reject the bill recently adopted by the French Senate, which aims to prevent mothers from wearing headscarves while attending school trips," it said.
The ministry criticized French officials for the discriminatory ban, saying that concealing the headscarf ban under the "People providing assistance" clause directly targets Muslim mothers. It continued by criticizing France for its hypocrisy regarding providing fundamental rights and freedoms.
"This is a new example of France's discriminatory and marginalizing approach to Muslims," the ministry said, adding that the law cannot be accepted by the Turkish and Muslim people living in France.
The ministry suggested that rather than introducing such discriminatory practices that incite anti-Muslim hatred and xenophobia, French authorities should take legal measures to fight Islamophobia.
Turkey also welcomed the opposition of some conscious government officials and members of the parliament for opposing the controversial law.
"We hope that France pays attention to these warnings and immediately fixes its mistake by rejecting the bill in the national assembly."
Turkey has repeatedly warned European countries about the surge in far-right violence and Islamophobia, which has been posing a threat to the safety and security of Muslim people living there.
The bill was introduced after a far-right French politician opposed the attendance of a Muslim mother wearing a headscarf...