The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed Amnesty International’s condemnation of the French ban on athletes wearing hijab (Islamic head scarves) in sports.
In a report, Amnesty International called hijab bans in French sports a “discriminatory double standard.” The report said the ban “breaches international human rights laws and exposes the discriminatory hypocrisy of French authorities and the craven weakness of the International Olympic Committee (IOC),” which plans to host the 2024 Olympics in Paris. French athletes are banned from wearing hijab.
“We welcome this report by Amnesty International and urge the International Olympic Committee to take action to end the discriminatory hijab ban,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “The IOC cannot ignore these blatant violations of athletes’ civil and religious rights.”
He noted that CAIR previously urged the Secretary of State to condemn the hijab ban.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com