French high school principal sends girl home for wearing kimono

The principal of a high school in the French city of Lyon, who sent a student home for wearing a kimono, a traditional Japanese garment, admitted on Wednesday that the young girl was not wearing an abaya but claimed that her overgarment was "a long coat" of a "religious nature."

The principal was speaking to the family of the student.

According to information gathered by Anadolu, the 15-year-old student was summoned on Wednesday to discuss the incident that occurred a day before, and for which she was prevented from returning to class until she changed her outfit.

Accompanied by her mother and her sister, who takes care of her schooling, the young girl of Muslim faith said her outfit did not represent any religious affiliation.

The principal then replied that the abayas are not the only clothes covered by regulation and that it concerns "all outfits that show a religious affiliation."

"The moment a student arrives veiled in the morning, we necessarily see, in relation to the veil, what her religious affiliation is," the principal said.

According to information gathered by Anadolu, at least one other student from the same high school was targeted with the same measure, because of wearing a kimono.

Maitre Nabil Boudi, the family’s lawyer, announced that he has filed a complaint for "discrimination on the basis of religious affiliation."

When contacted by Anadolu, the lawyer pointed to "a humiliation suffered by (his) client" and to "religious discrimination."

“The humiliation must stop and a judicial authority must urgently take up this file since the order given by the Minister of National Education has the consequence of creating religious discrimination against young female students,” he added.

The student explained that she was reprimanded in front of her whole class by a member of the educational body.

When taken to the principal's office, she was required to remove her kimono under the ban imposed by the Ministry of National Education, and if she refused to do so, she would be prohibited from attending the classes.

“I obviously refused because it is open, and it is not an abaya, so my outfit was not illegal,” the student told Anadolu, adding that the principal then told her that she “could not be accepted in class in this outfit.”