The French government and Olympic officials are exploring a creative solution to enable Muslim French sprinter Sounkamba Sylla to wear her hijab during the opening ceremony, while adhering to the country's secularism laws, as stated on Wednesday. Thousands of athletes, including those who wear a hijab, are arriving for the Paris Olympics, highlighting international concerns about tensions in France regarding national identity and perceived discrimination against Muslims. Sylla, a member of France's 400-metre relay team, expressed on her Instagram account on Monday that her hijab, a head covering worn by many Muslim women, would prevent her from participating in the opening ceremony along the Seine River.
"You are chosen for the Olympic Games, held in your country, but you cannot participate in the opening ceremony because you wear a scarf on your head," Sylla wrote on her account. She did not immediately respond to a request for comment. France, which has Europe's largest Muslim minority, enforces laws to uphold the principle of secularism, under which state employees and school pupils are prohibited from wearing religious symbols and clothing in public institutions. Rights groups argue that these rules discriminate against Muslims. Keen to prevent an embarrassing situation with the world watching, French government and Olympic officials expressed their willingness to find a solution for Sylla, though the specifics remain uncertain.
"Our citizens expect us to adhere to these principles of secularism, but we also need to be creative in finding solutions to make everyone feel included," said Amelia Oudea-Castera, minister for sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, on Wednesday, noting that Sylla "understands our principles, our rules". Foreign athletes are exempt from the secularism rules. David Lappartient, president of the French Olympic Committee, stated that the French Olympic team is "engaged in a public service mission and is therefore obliged to observe secularism". He admitted that the French approach "is sometimes difficult to understand in other countries", but emphasized that there is still time to find solutions before the grand ceremony. Various French sporting authorities have banned women from wearing religious head coverings, such as in football, basketball, judo, and boxing, according to Human Rights Watch. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not have rules against wearing religious head coverings. Maria Hurtado, spokeswoman for the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, criticized the French government last September for its stance on the hijab for French athletes during the Olympic Games, stating that "no one should dictate to a woman what she needs to wear, or not wear". Le Parisien newspaper reported that Sylla might participate in the Olympics opening ceremony wearing a cap.
