The French sports retailer Decathlon has cancelled plans to sell a sports version of the hijab Muslim headscarf in France, following an outcry.
Decathlon communications director Xavier Rivoire told French radio that the decision had been taken not to sell the product for now.
Hijab is not illegal
He added that Decathlon shop staff had suffered insults and threats after the planned sales were announced.
The hijab, which covers the hair but leaves the face open, is a common sight on the streets and elsewhere in France, where it is quite legal.
It is not legal to wear the hijab though, or symbols of any other religion, in France’s strictly secular state-run schools.
So the sale of a sports version of the hijab would have been completely legal - but the idea sparked considerable controversy.
Some see such garments as instruments to subjugate women, not in line with France’s values.
Others argue that they make it easier for Muslim women to engage in sport and other activities.
While acknowledging that wearing a sports hijab would be entirely lawful, minister Agnes Buzyn told French radio "it is a vision of women that I do not share. I would have preferred that a French brand not promote the veil."
Several politicians agreed with a tweet from Socialist MP Valérie Rabault suggesting a boycott of Decathlon in France.
Lydia Guirous, spokesperson for the mainstream right LR party denounced what she described as “Islamism which only tolerates women when their heads are covered.”
Divided opinions
MPs from Macron’s LREM party were divided.
Aurore Bergé declared that she would “no longer have confidence in a brand which breaches our values” because “sport emancipates, it is not about submitting”
However LREM MP Fiona Lazaar called for a halt to what she termed “this collective hysteria”.
It’s not the first time such debates have raged in France over whether or not to facilitate the wearing of face- and body-covering garments worn by Muslim women.
In 2016, the appearance on beaches of the body-concealing "burkini" swimsuit, led to a similar dispute.
