MAYOR HOSTS CONFERENCE AGAINST HIJAB BAN
(10 February 2004)

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone today hosted a press conference at City Hall, jointly organised by the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) and Muslim Women Society (MWS). The event coincided with the French Parliament's vote on banning the Islamic hijab and other religious symbols from public schools and workplaces throughout France.

As well as the Mayor, speakers included:

• Ms Abeer Pharaon, President of Muslim Women Society and Co-ordinator of the International Campaign against Hijab Ban
• Ms Mejindarpal Kaur, Director, United Sikhs
• Reverend George Hargreaves, Minister of Poplar Pentecostal Church, London
• Rabbi Herschel Gluck, Chairman of the Council of Muslims and Jews, Stamford Hill, London
• Mr Shami Chakrabati, Director, Liberty
• Mr Hajj Ahmad Thomson, Deputy, Deputy chair of Association of Muslim Lawyers (UK) and representative of Muslim Lawyers Europe
• Ms Milena Buyum, Vice Chair, National Assembly Against Racism

Mayor Ken Livingstone has written to the Prime Minister of France, urging the French government to reconsider proposals to ban the wearing of the hijab and other religious symbols in state schools. In the letter, to Prime Minister Jean-Pièrre Raffarin, the Mayor writes:

'As the elected representative of London I have a duty to promote equality of opportunity for all in London. London's diverse population includes large Muslim communities and I am very concerned to ensure their full inclusion in the city's life. Any form of discrimination against their cultural and religious freedom has, in my view, the effect of stigmatising them. I believe that a move to ban the hijab and other religious symbols in state schools will inflame current tensions between communities and encourage attacks on minority communities, not only in France but also more widely in Europe. I realise that we come from political traditions which approach this issue from different perspectives.

London's Sikh community also viewed with considerable concern the sight of their co-religionists demonstrating in Paris over the recent weekend. The Sikh community in the UK went through this debate in the 1960s when Sikhs won the right to wear the turban while undertaking policing duties. This issue has, of course, an effect on Jewish, Hindu and Christian communities too.

I would, therefore, like to appeal to you to reconsider restricting fundamental religious freedoms in France through the proposed legislation.'

The French cabinet approved the bill on Wednesday January 28 2004, setting the stage for its passage through parliament and adoption by the start of the next school year.

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