PARIS: France has decided to ban Muslim clothing in schools. Education Minister Gabriel Attal has announced that clothing such as the abaya (veil) worn by Muslim women has been banned in schools.

He said that such clothes violate the country's secular education laws. The new decision will come into effect from the 4th of next month. The government brought the new decision after months of discussions. The left argued that this was an encroachment on civil liberties.