At the Vigneux-sur-Seine media library in Essonne, a southern suburb of Paris the atmosphere is deceptively studious on this afternoon of 28 August chat while flipping through interior decoration magazines They are still making the most of the last days of their vacation to relax before heading back to school "I hope everything goes well," Hassina says anxiously while speaking to Middle East Eye a loose traditional dress covering the arms and legs expresses her fear that her clothing might cause her problems "I've already had problems with the principal of my middle school last year I'm afraid I'll have to part with the abaya for good to enter high school," she says On the evening news of TF1 the previous day Education Minister Gabriel Attal was uncompromising: wearing the abaya will no longer be allowed in educational institutions as it goes against the principles of secularism "Secularism is precisely about allowing individuals to dress as they want It's respecting everyone's freedom," Besma says and says she's ready to defend her choice of clothing the new high school student has chosen to wear a rosewood-coloured abaya The handbag sitting on the table also reveals her keen taste for fashion and novelty "I discovered abayas during my summer holidays in Algeria My cousins wear them for all sorts of occasions It's a comfortable and flattering garment," Besma tells MEE saying that the clothing also allows her to conceal her weight and move without self-consciousness when the school administration had asked her to remove her abaya following a directive from former education minister the schoolgirl had offered the same explanation the principal had described it as a "folkloric garment" that has no place in an educational institution "It's a display of contempt that I can't stand," says Imane a former classmate of Hassina who had witnessed the exchange I want to wear the abaya everywhere and all the time." lives in the working-class neighbourhood of Croix-Blanche In this housing estate with more than 3,000 units, where MEE met her, the riots that rocked France at the end of June have left their mark and the local community centre was vandalised following the death of Nahel a 17-year-old youth killed by a police officer in Nanterre after refusing to comply with a police demand one of the facilitators at the social centre says: "The youth revolted due to issues of injustice There's nothing here except the drug trade which is increasing the number of delinquents every day." Inside this welcoming place with colourful walls where Imane seeks refuge during the summer to escape boredom mothers also come with their children for recreational activities or chitchat pants or traditional Sub-Saharan African clothing she regrets that the abaya issue intentionally targets Muslims "It's been a while since we were in the spotlight They had to reignite the controversy to overshadow the real problems," she says "As if banning the abaya could solve everything the school mainly produces young people adrift wandering around the estate all day," she says pointing towards a group of noisy teenagers obstructing the entrance of a building in the distance They persist despite the obstacles and are determined to succeed at all costs," Rokaya says.  'I don't want to miss hours of classes or get expelled because of an abaya she doesn't hesitate to ask them to make certain compromises such as no longer wearing the abaya to go to middle school the two young girls had already swapped their long dresses for loose pants and sweatshirts "I don't want this clothing issue to negatively impact their education for them to be stigmatised over a piece of fabric whether it's religious or not," says Rokaya The situation of her daughters reminds her of her own young days when she herself had to give up the idea of wearing the veil.  three middle school students who had refused to remove their headscarves in class had been expelled from their school in Creil resolved a few weeks later by the Council of State which determined that wearing the Islamic veil was not incompatible with the principle of secularism school was more important than anything else," says Rokaya and she now sees her home as the only space of freedom that remains for her I know that my headscarf isn't always well received and that my religion is met with suspicion," she says also doesn't accept that the headscarf and abaya are treated as republican threats "Anything is an excuse to target Muslims," she says Imane also wonders how school administrators will distinguish between a long dress and an abaya "Perhaps by the colour of the skin and the names of those who wear them," she suggests "I don't want to miss hours of classes or get expelled because of an abaya still regrets that young girls like hers are already experiencing discrimination while their heads are still full of dreams *This article was originally published in French.  Copyright © 2014 - 2025. Middle East Eye Only England and Wales jurisdiction apply in all legal matters Middle East Eye          ISSN 2634-2456                      This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com PSG President Nasser AlKhelaïfi participated in the Olympic Torch relay fulfilling a lifelong dream ahead of the Paris 2024 opening ceremony carried the torch through Vigneux-sur-Seine Recognized for his significant impact on French sports Al-Khelaïfi carried the torch 500 meters before passing it to Marie-Rolande Biro His participation symbolizes unity and pride for Arabs worldwide Al-Khelaïfi expressed pride in PSG’s 26 athletes competing in the Games across various sports PSG’s Parc des Princes will host key football matches highlighting the club’s ongoing Olympic involvement including high jumper Mutaz Barshim and weightlifter Fares Ibrahim Hassouna Al-Khelaïfi’s involvement underscores Qatar’s commitment to the Olympic spirit Councillors in Limavady today rallied around their new Mayor after the tragic death of his wife less than a week after he took up office SDLP councillor Michael Coyle was installed as first citizen last Monday when he tearfully asked colleagues if his daughters Julie and Laura could perform the duties of Mayoress in place of his seriously ill partner However she died at the family home in Dungiven yesterday after a battle with illness The new first citizen was still too devastated to speak to the Press this morning but council colleagues today paid tribute to the late Mrs Coyle Former Mayor and Ulster Unionist councillor who handed over the chains of office to Michael Coyle just a week ago worked with Mary on the council's twinning committee which co-ordinates the town's link-up with Vigneux Sur Seine in France Paying tribute today Mr Rankin said: "I worked very closely with Mary on the twinning committee and this will be very sad for the whole family "She will be badly missed and we on council will be giving Michael and his daughters all of our support during this very sad time." said that her "heart goes out" to the Coyle family "People will be lining up to offer help," she said "This is tragic for Michael and I am not sure that there is much we can say or do to make it any easier for him said that Michael Coyle and his family had been very brave "I have every faith in Michael and think he will be a good representative for the borough," he said "These past few months have been a very tough time for him and his family and he still conducted his work in a professional manner "I offer my sincere condolences to Michael and his extended family and give them my best wishes for the future." Leader of the DUP on Limavady Borough Council He said: "I contacted Michael last night to express our sincere and heartfelt condolences on behalf of the party and informed him that we will be there for him at this trying time." Mary Coyle's funeral tomorrow will leave her late home at Priory Lane in Dungiven for 11am Mass at St Patrick's church before interment in the adjoining cemetery Receive today's headlines directly to your inbox every morning and evening Please check your inbox to verify your details Un accident de personne survenu ce mercredi 30 avril 2025 sur le RER D dans le Val-d'Oise a des répercussions en Seine-Saint-Denis et à Paris [Mise à jour à 17h : le trafic reprend progressivement sur une portion de la ligne] Il était environ 14h45 lorsqu’un accident de personne a eu lieu sur le RER D à hauteur de la gare de Garges-Sarcelle ce mercredi 30 avril 2025, a annoncé la SNCF. Conséquences : la circulation est à l’arrêt entre la Seine-Saint-Denis et le Val-d’Oise la circulation reprend progressivement entre Stade de France et Orry-la-Ville « En raison d’une enquête en cours les forces de l’ordre n’autorisent pas la reprise des circulations entre Stade de France et Orry la Ville précise l’entreprise ferroviaire Survilliers et La Borne n’ont plus été desservies durant l’après-midi À noter que le trafic reste « fortement ralenti » entre Stade de France et Melun et entre Stade de France et Corbeil-Essonnes. Des allongements de temps de parcours « pouvant allant jusqu’à 40 minutes ainsi que des modifications du plan de transport (dont suppressions) » Les trains au départ de la gare du Nord accusent des retards de 30 à 45 minutes L’heure de reprise est estimée à 17h30 Suivez toute l’actualité de vos villes et médias favoris en vous inscrivant à Mon Actu Découvrez l'offre 100% numérique actu.fr avec Actu Paris Suivez l'actualité de vos communes favorites dans l'onglet Mon actu Abonnez-vous pour lire le journal en illimité Selectionnez une région ou recherchez une ville