🇫🇷 France reaffirms its law against the burqa in 2025: between religious freedom and the control of secularism

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Oscar “Blue” Ramirez Journalist and international correspondent Oscar Ramírez is a Mexican journalist from Tijuana, Baja California, graduated in Communication and radio announcer. Recognized for his experience in international migration issues, he has traveled and documented all the borders of northern Mexico with the United States. In the south of the country, he has walked and registered more than 12 migrant caravans, in addition to documenting the route of the Central American Triangle and crossing the dangerous Darién jungle on four occasions, between Panama and Colombia - one of the deadliest routes in the world for migrants. As a war correspondent, he has covered international conflicts in Ukraine (border with Russia) and in the Middle East, reporting from Israel with the borders of Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. Currently, Oscar Ramírez works as a bilingual correspondent for various media and is part of the international team of Real America's Voice News, a recognized media in the United States. In 2023, he was awarded at the Congress of Colombia with the Diana Turbay Award, one of the most important journalistic recognitions in the country, for its coverage and documentation of the migratory route through the Darién jungle. Beyond his informative work, Oscar Ramírez has distinguished himself for his humanitarian journalism, focused on giving voice and face to the stories of migrants and communities affected by violence and international conflicts.

By Sabrina Padrón. Editor and International Analyst on Human Rights – Oscar Blue Ramírez News

A debate that does not end: 14 years later, France returns to the center of the conflict between faith and State

In 2025, France once again makes international headlines after reaffirming the validity and scope of Law No. 2010-1192, which prohibits covering the face in public spaces. Enacted in 2010 and implemented since 2011, the measure – known as the “burqa law” – has become a of the most controversial regulations in contemporary Europe.

The French government, headed by Emmanuel Macron, has reiterated that the norm “will not be repealed”, despite pressure from international organizations that denounce an increase in Islamophobic sentiment and an erosion of the right to freedom of religion.

“France is a secular republic. Religion belongs to the private sphere; equality before the law should not depend on the veil or faith,” Interior Minister Géraldine Chastel recently stated, in statements reported by Le Monde.

The law and its real impact

Since its entry into force, the French authorities have registered more than 3,700 sanctions for non-compliance with the rule, according to the latest report of the Conseil d’État (2025). 87% of the cases were single sanctions, and less than 10% corresponded to recidivism.

Although the number of violations is low compared to the6 million Muslims who live in France (8.8% of the population), the debate transcends numbers: the State considers that the full veil contradicts republican values, while the organizations Human rights classify it as a symbolic limitation on personal identity.

A study by the Observatoire de laïcité (2024) revealed that 56% of French people support maintaining the law, but 38% believe it reinforces stigmas against the Muslim community.

The weight of French secularism and its legacy

France is the country with the largest Muslim population in Western Europe and the strictest in terms of secularism.

The Separation of Church and State Act of 1905 established a key principle: the neutrality of the State towards all religions. However, this secularism—originally designed to guarantee freedom—has been transformed, in some cases, into a tool of social and political control.

In 2025, the French government is considering expanding legislation to prohibit the use of the hijab in official sports competitions and by girls under 15 years of age, which has sparked protests in Paris and Marseille. The measure is part of the so-called National Integration Plan, whose objective is to “strengthen cultural cohesion,” although critics warn that it deepens the marginalization of religious minorities.

“Religious freedom cannot fragment the Republic, but it cannot be censored by it either,” declared Amira Djabali, president of the Islamic Council of Women of France.

Recent trend-setting data (2025)

  • Muslim population in France: 6.15 million (8.8% of the total population).li>
  • Sanctions for non-compliance with the burqa law (2011–2024): 3,700 cases registered.
  • Percentage of support for the law (2025): 56% of French citizens.
  • Increase in Islamophobic incidents (according to CNCDH): +12% between 2023 and 2024.
  • Women who currently wear the full veil: around 1,200, according to the Institut Montaigne.

    These data reflect a panorama in which cultural identity, security and human rights are intertwined in an increasingly complex way.

Europe observes: defense of freedom or democratic regression?

Since 2010, Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Bulgaria and Switzerland have followed the French example, implementing similar restrictions. The phenomenon has been described by the European Policy Center as a“domino effect of identity secularism”, where security policies are confused with assimilation mechanisms cultural.

The Fundamental Rights Agency of the European Union (FRA) warned in its 2025 report that stigmatization for religious reasons increased by 23% in the last five years, mainly affecting Muslim women and young migrants.

Final analysis — By Sabrina Padrón

The French case highlights a dilemma that extends beyond religion: the struggle to define what it means to be a citizen in a plural society.

As an international Human Rights analyst, I observe that France does not face a crisis of faith, but rather a crisis of coexistence and recognition. When the State seeks to protect its identity through prohibition, it runs the risk of building unity through exclusion.

Europe’s challenge in 2025 is not only to maintain security, but to preserve the freedom to be different without being singled out for it.

✍️ Editor and International Human Rights Analyst: Sabrina Padrón

📱 @sabrinavisualmedia. X: @sabripadron. 🌐 oscarblueramirez.com

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