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Portugal’s Fight over the Muslim Veil
Portugal, long admired for its tolerance and moderate social fabric, has taken a shocking and regressive turn. The country’s parliament has recently approved a bill proposed by the far-right Chega party to ban face veils such as the burqa and niqab in most public spaces. The bill, still awaiting constitutional review, introduces draconian fines ranging […]
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Behind France’s Ban on Abaya
France’s new Education Minister, Gabriel Attal, launched the 2023 school year with a thunderous announcement: “I decided it will no longer be possible to wear an abaya at school,” he said, in the name of a preposterous conception of secularism (or laïcité) adopted by President Emmanuel Macron. This “abaya ban” is a serious violation of […]