Hijab diversity campaign dropped after French backlash

STRASBOURG: Europe’s top human rights organisation has withdrawn images from a social media campaign promoting diversity among women and their freedom to wear the hijab.

Posters featuring young women wearing Islamic headscarves were removed from Twitter just days after the project’s launch. The campaign had prompted a strong backlash from senior French politicians over secular values.

The Council of Europe confirmed that the social media posts had been removed while they “reflect on a better presentation.” The council did not confirm that the decision to withdraw the campaign was a direct result of French criticism.

Many Muslim women have criticised the response in France, saying it showed a lack of respect for diversity and the right of women to choose what to wear. The Council of Europe says the “Freedom in the hijab” project aimed to celebrate Europe’s diversity and inclusivity.

The project was launched last week through their Inclusion and Anti-Discrimination Programme. The campaign was also co-financed by the European Union.

READ MORE: Hijab can be banned at work under certain conditions, top EU court rules

Social media posts featured split images of young women, with one side of their face wearing an Islamic headscarf, and the other not. Messages alongside the videos and images read, “beauty is in diversity as freedom is in hijab.” “How boring would the world be if everyone looked the same?” another slogan read.

The campaign initially went relatively unnoticed, but after a few days, the project generated a major backlash in France among politicians. Secularism and symbols of Islam have generated debate in the French parliament for months, ahead of the country’s presidential election in 2022. In 2011, France became the first European country to ban full-face Islamic veils in public places.

French government spokesperson Gabriel Attal said the Council of Europe campaign went against “common sense.” Speaking to reporters after a Council of Ministers meeting, Attal said that the French government did not agree with the “identity-based approach.”

“[This is] opposite to the freedom of belief that France defends in all European and international forums,” Attal said. “We can consider that this campaign was made in spite of common sense, because we must not confuse religious freedom with the promotion, de facto, of a religious sign.”

Marine Le Pen, a presidential candidate for the far-right Rassemblement National party, had earlier described the campaign as “scandalous and indecent”. The former EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, another right-wing presidential candidate, also called for the campaign to be “withdrawn.”

#EqualTreatmentForEveryone Every person should be free to choose what they wear and still have equal opportunity to education. Wearing a hijab is a choice and human right #WECAN4HRS So, #LetMeChoose @CoE_Antidiscrim @femyso @ENAREurope @EUParl_EN pic.twitter.com/MFFxGbuIWM

— europeanmuslimwomen (@euromuslimwomen) October 28, 2021

France’s women’s rights minister Laurence Rossignol also stated that the campaign had “promoted” the hijab. Although the social media posts were removed following political condemnation in France, the Council of Europe did not confirm there was any link.

In a statement, a spokesperson confirmed that the campaign was part of a joint project with the EU. The project aimed to “raise awareness for the need to respect diversity and inclusion, and to combat hate speech of all kinds,” it said.

“The tweets reflected statements made by individual participants in one of the project workshops, and do not represent the views of the Council of Europe,” it said. “We have taken down these tweet messages while we reflect on a better presentation of this project.”

The European Commission has also distanced itself from the campaign images. A spokesperson said on Wednesday that Brussels “has not validated” the images and called for “other actions” to be considered in tackling hate speech. “Our position is extremely clear: women must be able to wear what they want, according to the laws of the country where they live,” a statement added.