- 20 hours ago
Hailey travels to France to explore the recent rise in Islamophobia and how it's affecting the way Muslim women dress.
This video was originally published by VICE in 2017.
ABOUT SERIES
Hailey Gates explores global fashion and issues the industry often ignores, showing us what the world wears, and why.
ABOUT REFINERY29
Refinery29 is a modern woman's destination for how to live a stylish, well-rounded life. http://refinery29.com/
RELATED CONTENT
The Streets Of The Congo Turned-Fashion Show
https://youtu.be/n61y1Fr_lxE
Is Style An Act Of Bravery In Pakistan?
https://youtu.be/ybQngyhGtZI
Fashion Defined By Borders In Palestine
https://youtu.be/IXZoWsuZYv0
SUBSCRIBE TO REFINERY29
Subscribe to the Refinery29 channel: http://bit.ly/subscribe-to-r29
Follow Refinery29 on Instagram: https://instagram.com/refinery29/
Follow Somos on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29somos/
Follow Unbothered on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29unbothered/
This video was originally published by VICE in 2017.
ABOUT SERIES
Hailey Gates explores global fashion and issues the industry often ignores, showing us what the world wears, and why.
ABOUT REFINERY29
Refinery29 is a modern woman's destination for how to live a stylish, well-rounded life. http://refinery29.com/
RELATED CONTENT
The Streets Of The Congo Turned-Fashion Show
https://youtu.be/n61y1Fr_lxE
Is Style An Act Of Bravery In Pakistan?
https://youtu.be/ybQngyhGtZI
Fashion Defined By Borders In Palestine
https://youtu.be/IXZoWsuZYv0
SUBSCRIBE TO REFINERY29
Subscribe to the Refinery29 channel: http://bit.ly/subscribe-to-r29
Follow Refinery29 on Instagram: https://instagram.com/refinery29/
Follow Somos on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29somos/
Follow Unbothered on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29unbothered/
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00.
00:14Can I jump in?
00:16It's okay?
00:16Yes, it's okay, thank you.
00:18Are we ready?
00:19Are we ready?
00:20Are you ready?
00:21Yes, yes, yes, yes.
00:24Besides not wearing seat belts,
00:26one of us is doing something illegal.
00:35Should I find, should I find,
00:38should I find, should I find,
00:42should I find,
00:42should I find,
00:43should I find,
00:44should I find,
00:44should I find,
00:46should I find,
00:47should I find,
00:50should I find,
00:52should I find,
00:55should I find,
01:05I am here at Canal Saint-Martin.
01:08I always don't know what to do when I'm speaking English and then I have to pronounce French
01:12things because I don't want to sound like that douchebag that's like, you know, so do
01:16you want to go eat a croissant instead of a croissant?
01:19You are that douchebag.
01:20I am that douchebag.
01:24I was one of those insufferable Francophiles as a kid.
01:27I forced my seventh grade class to watch Godard movies and spoke my textbook French to anyone
01:33that would tolerate me.
01:35When you think of France, you think of red wine, baguettes, cigarettes.
01:40I bought into this image of France like many others and saw it as a singular cultural identity.
01:46And it seems that French politicians also think this.
01:59Central to that identity is that many consider Paris to be the birthplace of high fashion.
02:05Over the past century, it has led the world in pushing boundaries of what women can wear.
02:10From Coco Chanel designing the first little black dress to whatever the f*** former first lady,
02:16Carla Bruni, is wearing here.
02:18It seems that now, in France, you can get away with wearing almost anything.
02:22Unless, it's this.
02:31Over the past decade, France has been systematically banning all forms of Muslim clothing for women.
02:38Whether it's the hijab, the niqab, the burqa or the burkini, there are various laws dictating when and where women
02:45can wear these items.
02:46Because when we lock the body of women under clothes that go from the teeth to the top of the
02:51teeth, the global lock is not far from behind them.
02:54While there is no shortage of debate about how Muslims should dress, the media frenzy has drowned out the voices
03:01of the women who are actually being affected by these bans.
03:09I'm in France to talk to these women to get a better understanding about why clothing has sparked such controversy
03:16in a country that prides itself on freedom.
03:20Hello, how are you?
03:22How are you?
03:23I'm Amina.
03:24My name is Elie.
03:25Hello.
03:25I'm Wissem.
03:28Where do you want to go shopping?
03:30Where do you go?
03:30These are the boutiques of Muslims.
03:33Okay.
03:35Good.
03:35Let's go.
03:36Yes.
03:38Amina and Wissem are two French girls enjoying their last few days of summer.
03:44I caught them on their way into the city to go shopping at one of their favorite stores.
03:49Oh.
03:51It's so cute, this one.
03:52Yes.
03:53That's what I offered for my anniversary.
03:56It's a base of calcium fiber and it allows you to not keep warm.
04:00This one?
04:01Come on, try it.
04:03Okay.
04:04You want to go in here?
04:05Yes.
04:06I'm waiting.
04:09It's good.
04:09It's good.
04:13Wow.
04:14Wow.
04:16This looks so good on you.
04:17I like it with the red.
04:18Yes.
04:20It's good.
04:21It's good.
04:22It's good.
04:23It's good.
04:23It's good.
04:26Amina and Wissem wear hijab.
04:28The hijab covers the hair and the neck and is a sign of one's faith and identity.
04:34Wearing hijab is an interpretation of the suggested codes of modesty in the Quran.
04:39Those who wear it believe that they should cover their head in the presence of any male outside their family.
04:45However, the veil is mandatory in countries like Saudi Arabia and Iran.
04:50Fundamentalist groups like the Taliban and the Islamic State have placed further dress code restrictions on women.
04:56And there are serious repercussions if disobeyed.
05:04How old were you guys when you decided to start wearing the veil?
05:07I wore it for 13 years.
05:11What made you decide to wear it?
05:13I chose for my convictions.
05:16When I saw that the veil for a woman was something very important in Islam and everything.
05:22And when I read it, I saw that it was something very good for a woman.
05:25And so, I liked it and I wanted to wear it.
05:28And can you wear your veil at school?
05:35On March 15th, 2004, the French National Assembly voted to ban the wearing of overt symbols of religion in all
05:43public schools and government buildings.
05:45This included the hijab.
05:47No, I'm kidding.
05:48No, I like it.
05:49For example, for a party.
05:51You have a school dance?
05:52But they don't want to wear the veil.
05:55They don't want to wear the veil.
05:56They're very beautiful.
05:56So, I don't know if we're going to go there.
05:58Yeah, I don't think we're going there.
05:59Because they don't want to wear the veil.
06:01We don't want to wear the veil.
06:02We don't want to wear the veil.
06:02Well, would you wear this?
06:04If we go there, I would wear it.
06:06If we go there.
06:06Yeah, if we go there.
06:11When the 2004 hijab ban passed, France had an estimated population of 5 million Muslims.
06:17And was dealing with the rippling effects of Islamophobia post 9-11.
06:22Lawmakers were able to pass the ban by claiming that ostentatious signs of religion go against the secular rules of
06:28the government.
06:45This idea of secularism, translated in French as laïcité, is the belief that religion should be kept out of government.
06:57It's a term that keeps coming up here.
07:00Yasser Laoti is a human rights activist at the Center for the Collective Against Islamophobia.
07:06I'm hoping he can help me understand why laïcité is at the heart of the ban on hijabs in public
07:12schools.
07:12The word laïcité stands for the secular law which was passed in 1905.
07:17It was a law of separation between the church and the state.
07:20It meant that the state cannot have a religion, which is a good thing because it grants all other religions
07:24the right to exist and to be practiced by any person.
07:27It's the same thing. We have separation of church and state.
07:30Exactly. So, for example, if you oblige the state to be mutual, you can't apply that to people because people
07:36have freedom of religion, freedom of expressing that religion.
07:39What happened is that laïcité became an ideological tool in the 80s when Muslims became visible.
07:47You have Muslims in schools, Muslims who become entrepreneurs, Muslims working as pilots, doctors, etc.
07:53And the people who are in a comfortable position just don't want them to come in and have also a
07:59seat at the table.
08:00By 2004, when the hijab ban was passed, they used laïcité.
08:05Right.
08:05So, Muslim women can't go to public schools. They can't work. They can't go and swim.
08:11I can show you dozens of Muslim women wearing the hijab who graduated with honors in law, in medicine, in
08:18chemistry, engineering, and they can't find jobs.
08:21Not because they're not good, because they wear a piece of cloth on their heads.
08:27What do you guys want to be when you grow up?
08:29I want to be a surgeon.
08:30A surgeon?
08:31Yeah.
08:32Wow.
08:32Heart surgeon or brain.
08:34Heart or brain.
08:36Neurosurgeon.
08:36Whoa.
08:38This is like my biggest dream, but I...
08:40You?
08:41I also wanted to be a doctor.
08:45I wanted to be a gynecologist or obstetrician.
08:49Yeah.
08:51We need more of you.
08:53We want to do it, but we don't.
08:54Because they are not allowed to be a doctor.
08:56But we ask them to remove my doctor.
08:59I'm not going to be a doctor.
09:01I'm not going to be a doctor.
09:01I'm going to be a doctor.
09:02And it's...
09:03We can't work.
09:04But there are many young women who have stopped going to school.
09:06There are some who have stopped working because they want to live their religion.
09:10And that's why, at 17 years, we think about 16 or 17, we think about going to go to France
09:15to go live in Angleterre, even in Maghreb, in other countries, where we can really be
09:23a religion, tranquillement.
09:24But it hurts my heart because, as I told you personally, I love France.
09:30In the last decade, France has had a slew of devastating terror attacks which has bred
09:35an environment of fear.
09:36In fact, Islamophobia around the world has only increased.
09:41Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States
09:48until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on.
09:56This fear has been used as a tactic to gain power.
10:03And most notably, in the Front National leader, Marine Le Pen.
10:07The Front National was once a fringe political party, but has gained popularity with its fervent anti-immigration
10:22and nationalistic platform.
10:25Since filming this, Marine Le Pen lost the 2017 presidential election.
10:30And although she lost, her ethnocentric platform struck a chord with many young people,
10:34who felt that their French way of life was at stake.
10:37I spoke to three members of the Front National Student Association,
10:41an organisation that's been popping up in universities around France.
10:45And how was it? How was her speech?
11:03And what is the greatest threat to that French identity?
11:07I mean, what we don't want, is that individuals, when they walk in the street,
11:12walk in the street, walk in as a Muslim, as a Christian.
11:15We want to walk in as a French.
11:17In France, we love the interaction. We love to talk with people.
11:20We love to talk to people. We love to talk to people.
11:23We love that. I see someone wearing a very marked religious dress.
11:27I don't want to go to him. And we, in France, we find that intolerable.
11:32Multiculturalism, it's simple, it's the multi-conflictuality.
11:36It's the Islamism that climbs, that divides our country,
11:40and that, today, kills. Today, the Islamism kills in France.
11:44But don't you think it's just a little bit strange that this government
11:46decides what you can and can't wear? Because at the end of the day,
11:50it's sort of an arbitrary piece of cloth. Like, it's not hurting anyone.
11:55And then, this kind of religious symbol,
11:58that leads to social conflicts.
12:01The religious symbols have nothing to do with the public space.
12:05If a woman wants to wear a veil, she can do it at home.
12:07I spoke to a couple of young Muslim girls in the suburbs
12:11and they said that they're having such a hard time
12:13that they want to leave France.
12:16Well, if they don't support the French regime,
12:19well, very well.
12:20There are many other countries where we can wear a veil and a burkini.
12:24They don't have to go there in France.
12:26It's not... It's not negotiable.
12:37Do you feel French?
12:40Yeah.
12:41Even when I go to Algeria, the French is the same.
12:44We call us French.
12:45We call us French.
12:47We call us French.
12:48We call us French.
12:49And here, we call us Arab.
12:50The Arab.
12:51So, what are we?
12:52I ask them questions.
12:54This summer, Amina and Wissam have had some respite
12:57from pondering these questions.
12:59But tomorrow, they'll be going back to school
13:02where they will be required to take off their headscarf.
13:11It's a beautiful day,
13:13and we are going to make our way to a suburb called La Karnov.
13:18It's a predominantly Muslim neighborhood,
13:20and this is where Amina and Wissam live.
13:24We are here,
13:25and we need to figure out how to get all the way over here.
13:34France has the largest percentage of Muslims in all of Europe,
13:38making up more than one-tenth of the population.
13:41The country has had a long history with the Muslim world.
13:44In the 19th century, France embarked on a massive colonial expansion,
13:49taking over much of Northern and Central Africa,
13:52including Algeria, Morocco, and Senegal.
13:56After World War II,
13:57the French government brought hundreds of thousands of people
14:00from these colonized nations to help rebuild France
14:03and replenish a depleted workforce.
14:06Additionally, in 1954, the Algerian War began,
14:10as Algeria fought for their independence from France.
14:14But when the war ended,
14:15900,000 Algerian citizens who had been loyal to the motherland
14:20fled to France.
14:22This significant population of immigrants made their homes here,
14:26and now their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren
14:30are born French.
14:34It's early in the morning, and today is Amina and Wissem's first day of school.
14:38All summer, they've been able to wear the clothes that they want,
14:41but today, they're going to have to take off their hijab
14:44before going into school.
14:47Hi!
14:49How are you?
14:50Come on.
14:55Are you nervous to take off your scarf?
14:57Why?
14:58How does it make you feel?
15:01I feel numb.
15:02It's like something they want to see.
15:04Yeah.
15:04Do you have a spot where you like to take them off?
15:07No, we just take them in front of the school, like that.
15:09No.
15:09There's also the CPE that says,
15:11take them in front of the school.
15:11Take them in front of the school.
15:12Take them in front of the school.
15:13It's the students who asked for this mirror.
15:16At the beginning, I thought it was good.
15:17It was a good idea.
15:18I thought, at least,
15:20they thought something for us.
15:21Yes, yes.
15:22And then, I thought,
15:24what?
15:24Do you think it's possible for us to go walk up and check out the mirror?
15:28What?
15:28Yeah?
15:29Okay.
15:32Teachers complained that the girls were using the bathroom mirror
15:35to put their hijabs on after the end of the school day.
15:38So, to prevent them from being on the premises and headscarf,
15:41they erected a mirror outside the gate.
15:43Oh, my God.
15:49I have, like, six eyes.
15:51Ah!
15:53We're in front of them.
15:54Yeah.
15:56The mirror is sort of funny at first,
15:58because it looks like a funhouse mirror,
16:00and it's obviously ridiculous,
16:02but it's very indicative of how this school feels
16:06about accommodating Muslim girls here.
16:10we're taking a look at their mirror behind
16:26and then we're going to go.
16:28It just looks like,
16:31we're going to go back to the bathroom.
16:32I've got a mirror on the back.
16:33It's pretty serious.
16:33I know it's not.
16:33It's really good.
16:34We don't need a mirror to remove the bathroom.
16:36No, there's no sign.
16:38There's no sign.
16:39Look, look, look.
16:40I'm going to take them, Madam.
16:41Yes, that's it.
16:46The girls asked us not to film them without their headscarves.
16:52It seems like a real attack on personal freedom,
16:55that you just don't have the ability to choose how you want to dress.
17:02Everybody's wearing something that's representative of something else,
17:05and they're the only ones that aren't allowed to choose.
17:07I mean, they're not checking, like, girls' crosses on their necks.
17:11It just seems very clear who is getting stopped and who isn't.
17:18It's so crazy that just past the mirror it says...
17:27Unlike the hijab that covers only the head,
17:30the niqab and burqa cover the face as well.
17:35The niqab leaves its face across the eyes
17:38and is worn predominantly in the Arabian Peninsula.
17:41The burqa is the most concealing of all Islamic veils.
17:45It covers the eyes with a mesh screen,
17:48and is most commonly worn in Afghanistan and some tribes of India and Pakistan,
17:53where women are often forced to wear it by leaders or males of the family.
17:58In 2010, the French government passed a law that bans all face coverings in public spaces,
18:04which included the burqa and the niqab.
18:11I'm going to meet André Guerin, the man responsible for the law banning the full face veil.
18:18Although this law is more typical of right-leaning policy,
18:22Guerin is actually a member of the far-left Communist Party.
18:26Arguments in support of this ban were that full face coverage prevents identification,
18:31and therefore is a security risk,
18:33as well as claims that the veil goes against women's rights.
18:37What prompted you to write this burqa ban law?
18:41The veil is not a dress.
18:44To cover the face, it is not a dress.
18:48It is the negation of the woman.
18:50It is the negation of the identity of the woman.
18:53It was not a law against women.
18:56In the contrary, it was rather a hand-tend for women to have an identity
19:02from the equality point of view, from the place in society.
19:11But for some women to wear a veil, it is a spiritual experience for them.
19:16I'm not sure, because in Arab countries,
19:21there are feminist movements that have been fought for decades
19:26to refuse this submission,
19:29this treatment of women of inferiority.
19:33Did you spend a lot of time with Muslim communities here in France
19:37to understand why they do wear it?
19:41Of course, of course.
19:43And rather, for most Muslims,
19:48they are a bit lost in this situation.
19:52Now, countries like Germany are thinking about enacting a law
19:56similar to the one that you wrote.
19:57Do you think that's a good idea?
19:59Yes, sir.
20:00Do you think it should be a worldwide thing?
20:03Affirmative.
20:05It's so complicated because, yes, it's unconscionable,
20:08the idea that any woman would be forced to wear a burqa.
20:10That is a fact.
20:11But he's sort of eliminating the idea
20:14that these women have the ability to make a choice for themselves.
20:20For those women who do choose to disregard the ban,
20:23the ramifications can be damaging.
20:30The 2010 French law that bans all face coverings in public
20:34imposes a fine of up to 150 euros for those who violate it.
20:40I'm on my way to meet a French-Algerian businessman
20:43who pays the fines for women who wear the burqa in public.
20:46He shelled out nearly $300,000 of his own money for these fines,
20:51and his activism on the issue has made him famous.
20:53Aagge, Aagge, Aagge!
20:55Aagge, Aagge, Aagge!
20:55Aagge, Aagge, Aagge!
20:55C'est une nouvelle dictature!
20:58So it's no surprise that when we arrived,
21:00he was already being filmed.
21:02Hello, how are you?
21:07I'm very good.
21:08I'm Elie.
21:09Happy to meet you.
21:11I think we're going to look for a young woman in niqab.
21:17And then we'll pay the bond.
21:18Okay.
21:22What do you think about your surname, Zoro de niqab?
21:26Personally, I don't know.
21:28I'm totally visible.
21:30Zoro, it's rather the women who wear it.
21:33I'm not Zoro, I'm the one who allows women to continue to be free in Europe.
21:41Personally, I'm against the bond of niqab and the bond of niqab,
21:47because it's not the best way to be integrated in the European society.
21:50It's not that French men who use the fear of Islam to prevent these women from holding their choice.
22:03I don't accept that.
22:04I think it's there.
22:08Hello, how are you?
22:11How are you?
22:12How are you?
22:12Very good, thank you.
22:13Alhamdulillah.
22:14Perfect.
22:15Okay.
22:16All right.
22:16On va mettre ça derrière.
22:18Voilà.
22:19C'est bon.
22:20Pardon.
22:20Voilà.
22:21Mettez-vous à l'aide.
22:22Ça va ?
22:23Oui, ça va.
22:24Merci.
22:25Nous allons aller à nuit sur scène payer la bande.
22:29Donc, Olia a trois chats.
22:30Oui, trois.
22:31Three cats.
22:32Ah, vraiment.
22:34Génial.
22:34J'aime beaucoup les chats, oui.
22:38Ça va être pour une femme toute seule, parce que je ne travaille plus.
22:43J'ai perdu mon travail à cause de cette, comment dire, quand les policiers m'ont arrêtée.
22:48En fait, ça va être vite la dégringolade.
22:50En fait, si je ne paye pas l'amende, elle va augmenter.
22:55On va saisir mon compte.
22:57Je ne vais pas pouvoir payer le loyer.
23:01Moi, à quoi j'ai pensé, c'est me retrouver à la rue avec mes chats.
23:04J'ai dit, mais je vais faire comment ?
23:07Oui.
23:07Il faut arrêter les clichés.
23:08C'est son mari qui l'oblige.
23:10Non.
23:11Non.
23:11Et comme je vous dis, je n'ai pas de grand frère.
23:14Je n'ai pas de mari et je n'ai plus mon père, paix à son âme.
23:18Chaque femme doit disposer de son corps et de sa façon de s'habiller comme elle l'entend.
23:22Que ça soit en minijupe ou que ça soit voilé ou en miqabre.
23:26Et Rachid, comment les filles réussissent à vous contacter ?
23:30Comme elle.
23:31Comme Olia.
23:33C'est-à-dire par toute la communauté.
23:36Les musulmans.
23:36Je suis très connue chez les musulmans ici, en France.
23:39Oui.
23:39En fait, par une...
23:42C'est des amis sur Facebook.
23:44Bah écoutez, moi, j'ai reçu une amende.
23:46Est-ce que tu connais ce monsieur ?
23:47J'ai dit, oui, j'en ai déjà entendu parler.
23:49Mais moi, je me suis dit, non, ce monsieur, il n'est pas accessible.
23:52Et ils ont fait, ils ont envoyé mon mail et tout ça.
23:55Et dans l'heure, le monsieur m'avait appelé.
23:57Oui, oui, j'entendais les enfants quand je les appelais.
23:59C'est la chance.
24:00Oui, ils criaient, les enfants criaient.
24:02Ils étaient tous contents et tout.
24:04C'est cool.
24:11Donc, voilà.
24:13Donc, vous mettez...
24:14Vous relisez, tranquillement.
24:15Et vous signez si vous êtes d'accord.
24:18C'est intéressant, il les fait signer un papier
24:20qui dit que personne ne les fait wearer a niqab,
24:24c'est une choix personnelle.
24:25Si une femme est forcée à le wearer par son mari ou son père,
24:29vous n'allez pas.
24:31D'accord.
24:32D'accord.
24:33D'accord.
24:34D'accord.
24:39D'accord.
24:40D'accord.
24:40D'accord.
24:41D'accord.
24:43D'accord.
24:44D'accord.
24:57D'accord.
24:58D'accord.
25:09D'accord.
25:10D'accord.
25:11D'accord.
25:12D'accord.
25:12D'accord.
25:14D'accord.
25:15D'accord.
25:16D'accord.
25:17Thank you very much.
25:20Okay, can we leave it?
25:21And here, it's paid.
25:26Congratulations.
25:27Congratulations.
25:30Here?
25:30A little more.
25:32A little more.
25:34Like that.
25:35For him, part of paying these fines is a performance
25:39because it's meant to be a stunt that lets everyone know
25:45about this attack on freedom for these women.
25:51My preconceptions of people that wear burqas,
25:54I automatically think, oh, they're going to be shy
25:56or they're not going to want to talk,
25:58and she was sort of fun and outgoing,
25:59and I really did not anticipate that.
26:02And in the end, she's just a single cat lady
26:06that happens to wear the cob.
26:13While the French government is increasingly opposing
26:16the wearing of Islamic modesty wear,
26:19the French couture market is making massive amounts of money
26:22off women who do.
26:24Gulf Arab women are now the largest consumers of couture in the world
26:28and have increased what was once a dwindling market by 25%.
26:33For many Middle Eastern women, couture is a symbol of status,
26:37even if worn underneath their modest clothes or in private.
26:42Competition to acquire the most expensive dress
26:44has resulted in pilgrimages to Paris to find their one-of-a-kind items.
26:50As couture clothing is becoming less affordable
26:53and less sought after by Western women,
26:55the luxury market needs these Arab clients to stay afloat.
27:07Tomas runs a luxury shopping agency
27:09that caters to these wealthy clients
27:11in the heart of the Golden Triangle,
27:13Paris' high-end shopping district.
27:15It's an agency that creates exclusive shopping
27:21around luxury experiences.
27:23I think that all people who come to Paris
27:27want to live an authentic experience.
27:29Because you've been in this industry so long,
27:31have you seen a change over the course of your time working in it?
27:35In the whole world,
27:38there have been more and more millionaires,
27:39and more billionaires,
27:40with the countries in the way of development.
27:42There are women who are ready to pay
27:47150, 200, 300,000 euros for a dress.
27:55We are in the Montaigne Avenue,
27:58which is the most famous place
28:00known for shopping for all the French brands.
28:03Iman is one of Thomas' personal shoppers,
28:05who specializes in working with wealthy clients
28:08from Gulf Arab countries.
28:10I'm aware of their cultural habits,
28:12their needs, their language also,
28:15as I do speak perfect Arabic.
28:17Oh wow, amazing!
28:17Fluent Arabic, yes.
28:18Your clients from the Gulf or the Middle East,
28:22what are they looking for when they come here?
28:24They come to get this Parisian luxury way of life.
28:30If they want to spend money, whatever it costs,
28:32they want to get it.
28:34Whatever it costs.
28:34Whatever it costs.
28:36Last week, we got clients from the royal family
28:39from Saudi Arabia,
28:41and he was telling us,
28:43I need a whole new closet.
28:44Have any of your clients, like,
28:46talked to you about the burkini stuff?
28:48Yes, the bag.
28:50Oh, no, not Birkin.
28:51Not a Birkin.
28:52Burkini.
28:53You know, the swimwear.
28:54The swimsuit?
28:55Oh, no.
28:57Honestly, no.
28:57We didn't go in this conversation, honestly.
29:02But it's interesting, I think,
29:04for them to come to a place
29:06that they think is, like, very glamorous and luxe,
29:09but their kind of dress that they wear at home
29:12is not okay here.
29:14From what I know from as a fashion expert
29:16as a personal shopper and stylist,
29:19I know, like, I have to choose for them some looks.
29:22Yeah.
29:22And it stops here.
29:24Just curious,
29:25because it's interesting to me.
29:27Yeah, I do understand perfectly.
29:29Yeah.
29:30But let's stay in glamorous.
29:32What do you mean?
29:34You know, like, just be glamorous.
29:36No politics.
29:37No politics.
29:38Yes.
29:41It's very clear that if you are
29:44getting financial benefits from these Gulf Arab women
29:50coming here and spending money,
29:52you don't talk politics.
29:53People just welcome them into their shops
29:56because they know they're going to spend money.
29:58But if we go out to a less touristy neighborhood
30:02where girls are choosing to wear hijab,
30:04they are treated like second-class citizens.
30:06I mean, it seems in France that women who wear headscarf
30:11or Islamic clothing are either seen as a terrorist
30:14or a dollar sign.
30:15Despite a vast market of French Muslims who buy clothing,
30:19the top French design houses have not come around
30:22to making modesty wear.
30:23Some in the industry have even gone as far
30:25as to speak out against it.
30:27A voile, it's a prison.
30:29That's what we have to say.
30:31And when I see designers,
30:33designers, designers who forget all that
30:36to simply make a mess,
30:40because there's no other expression,
30:42I can only be scandalized.
30:45However, there are some independent designers
30:47who are forging ahead by making clothing
30:50for the Muslim women who live here.
30:52Okay Zelda, one, two, three.
30:54I'm going to speak to Amman,
30:56who has an e-commerce shop called Barsha Fashion.
31:00Hi, how are you?
31:04Okay.
31:05So we're shooting a brown that's coming from Amsterdam.
31:08It's modest fashion.
31:10They do clothing for Muslim women,
31:12and we're selling it on our marketplace, Barsha.
31:20I've always seen my mom having such a hard time drinking
31:24to find proper clothes, because she wears a headscarf,
31:28and she has to hide all her body and just show her face.
31:31So she had such a hard time, and it was like,
31:34oh no, I have to buy this short dress
31:37and then put this long sleeve sweatshirt under.
31:41Like layering?
31:42Yeah, exactly.
31:43But such bad layering.
31:44It's crazy.
31:44You're like in the...
31:45I mean, we're in Paris.
31:46Mm-hmm.
31:46This is the center of the fashion industry,
31:49and there's nowhere to buy cool, modest clothes.
31:53But it's starting.
31:54Slowly and slowly it's starting.
31:56There are more and more women who are starting to wear the hijab.
31:59They have companies, they have shops, they are lawyers,
32:02and they still need to have sophisticated work clothing,
32:07something smart.
32:07We want to make them feel like they are part of the society,
32:13not excluded so people can look at them like regular women.
32:20Is it hard to find Muslim models?
32:23For us, Safa, actually, I met her at H&M.
32:26Really?
32:27Yeah.
32:27Wow.
32:32More and more of France is becoming multicultural,
32:35and at a certain point, it seems like there's going to have
32:37to be some kind of compromise.
32:39Compromise with them.
32:40Eventually, they have to admit that these people exist.
32:50Since 2012, France has suffered more than 19 terror attacks.
32:55With each tragedy, more pressure is placed on the government
32:59to increase security.
33:03After the attack on Charlie Hebdo,
33:05the French government deployed 10,000 soldiers
33:08to protect the streets,
33:09and introduced the French Patriot Act
33:11that granted spying power on their citizens.
33:15After November 13th,
33:17following the deadliest attack in recent French history,
33:20the government declared a state of emergency
33:22still effective today.
33:25On July 14th, 2016,
33:27a 19-ton cargo truck was deliberately driven
33:31into crowds celebrating Bastille Day
33:33in the seaside town of Nice.
33:3686 people died, and 303 were injured.
33:40Within weeks of the Nice attack,
33:4330 coastal cities across France banned the Burkini,
33:46citing reasons such as
33:48possible links to Islamic extremism,
33:51an affront to France's secular constitution,
33:54and unhygienic.
33:57The Burkini is a full-length swimsuit
33:59that adheres to the modesty traditions of Islam.
34:02The Burkini is a modern garment,
34:04invented in 2004 by an Australian designer
34:07who wanted to give Muslim women an opportunity
34:10to participate in beach life
34:11while preserving their beliefs.
34:14Images of police officers forcing Muslim women
34:17to disrobe ignited international media outrage.
34:20This is illegal to ban people from the beach
34:23just because they are Muslim.
34:24The case was brought to the highest French court,
34:27and the ban was eventually lifted.
34:29But many of the cities have rejected the court ruling,
34:32and continue to enforce their bans,
34:34claiming that the presence of Burkini-clad women
34:37on their beaches disrupts public order.
34:43It's early morning, we're in Paris.
34:45We are heading to the airport
34:47to go down to the south of France
34:50to try and understand sort of why
34:52this Burkini controversy is happening.
34:59First, I'm going to meet Asma,
35:01a makeup artist and modest-wear YouTube blogger.
35:06Bonjour. Bonjour.
35:08Ça va? Oui, enchantée.
35:09Entre. Oui, enchantée.
35:11Enchantée.
35:12Oh my God, it's so beautiful in here.
35:15Ah, thank you.
35:15So this is where you film all of your famous videos.
35:18Yes, it's here, yes.
35:19Hello, Mississippi. Bonjour.
35:20So today, I'm here with a Get Ready With Me.
35:24She belongs to a growing online movement
35:26of women fighting the stigmatization of Muslim clothing.
35:30So I'm filming.
35:31It's a little video studio.
35:33So I'm filming here.
35:34I'm filming here.
35:35I'm also wearing makeup.
35:37I'm wearing makeup here.
35:39I'm wearing makeup here.
35:39I'm wearing makeup here.
35:39So great.
35:40Just come up and pose it here.
35:42I'm going to join her
35:44while she films one of her YouTube videos.
35:47And so I'm starting a video,
35:48like always,
35:49so with Coco Mississippi.
35:51So I'm going to show you.
35:53Hello Mississippi.
35:54Bonjour.
35:55So today,
35:55I'm coming back with a new video.
35:57And so Hailey will see
36:00what it's called a burkini.
36:02And so really,
36:04we call it burkini.
36:06But in fact,
36:07it's burka and bikini.
36:09So in the burkini,
36:11we have three pieces.
36:11We have a piece
36:12for caching the hair.
36:15So the small piece here,
36:17it's a little hat to wear.
36:18So here,
36:20you have the little vest,
36:22the little tunic,
36:23the little robe.
36:25The dress.
36:26So Hailey will try the beige.
36:29And like that,
36:30she'll see.
36:30So I'll let you see.
36:31You can just sit here on the side.
36:33D'accord.
36:36Ah, super jolie.
36:38What do you think?
36:39Ah oui,
36:40c'est vraiment très très beau,
36:41je trouve.
36:41Ça te va bien.
36:42C'est un peu grand,
36:43mais c'est normal.
36:44Mais ça marche.
36:45Oui, oui.
36:47I feel like...
36:49Steve Zizo.
36:52And why do you think
36:53this garment has sparked
36:56so much controversy?
36:57We have the French elections
36:59that arrive in 2017.
37:01So,
37:01some people need to find
37:04a polémic subject
37:05to stigmatize Muslims
37:07so that there are
37:09more right or extreme right votes.
37:12They put that with...
37:14Burkini equals Islam,
37:16Islam equals terrorism,
37:17etc.
37:18Okay,
37:19I'm just going to take this off
37:20so I can keep interviewing you
37:21because I can't hear you.
37:24Tomorrow,
37:24I'm going to go to the beach
37:25with a woman
37:26who's going to wear
37:27a burkini.
37:29Burkini.
37:29And I brought
37:30my own version
37:31but it's really bad
37:32so I'm going to show you,
37:33okay?
37:34Okay.
37:35Ah, super.
37:36I have this.
37:37And then,
37:38either I can like
37:39go like that
37:40or I could make
37:42like a head.
37:43Do you want to do that?
37:44Put on sur les cheveux,
37:45oui, oui.
37:45Ça fait joli comme ça,
37:49regarde.
37:50Oui, c'est cool.
37:51C'est très belle, ouais.
37:53Ah, tu es prête
37:54pour aller à la place.
38:02We're on our way
38:03to go meet
38:04a woman named Natalie
38:06who lives in Marseille.
38:10Natalie is a mother of seven.
38:12She's Muslim.
38:13She wears a veil.
38:15Ça va?
38:15Ça va, merci.
38:16And although the burkini band
38:18has been lifted
38:19just since last week,
38:20she wants to go out
38:23on the beach
38:23in her own burkini
38:24just to test the waters
38:26to see if tensions
38:27are still high.
38:28So I'm going to go with her.
38:30I'm a little bit nervous about it.
38:31Yeah.
38:40Have there been any problems
38:42on the beach that we're going to
38:43for women who wear the
38:44burkini?
38:45Apparently, there were two
38:47interpellations of young girls
38:49who had been dressed
38:52on the beach.
38:54So they had an amends
38:55and they were on the beach.
38:59Were you surprised
39:00when they banned the burkini?
39:05Did it scare you at all?
39:17Did it scare you at all?
39:24Did it scare you?
39:26Yeah.
39:26No.
39:31No.
39:31What makes you want to do this?
39:33For that everyone knows.
39:48We're going to go swimming.
39:49And everybody is staring at us, which I guess, you know, we expected, but the ocean looks
39:58beautiful and it's really hot, so I'm very excited to swim.
40:01You're winning?
40:02Comme tu veux!
40:21It feels amazing in here. There are all these women topless on the other side of us, so there's
40:28a real dichotomy at work.
40:45And since the bikini ban has happened, do you feel less like coming to the beach?
40:49It's true that at the beginning I was a little hesitant compared to the people, it's
40:53true that it's hard to look at people when they're on the beach and we're looking at
40:56all the senses as if we were animals, and then after I thought, why is it my freedom?
41:03I don't see why I'm allowed to go and I'm also allowed to go to my children.
41:09It's a bit gilded, but it's normal, it's not fun.
41:14You see what it has happened to be so long?
41:17I don't know, it's a weird problem.
41:17Let's all of you arrive in.
41:18It's a false problem here.
41:19Sorry about it.
41:25We haven't got a sozial?
41:28We haven't got a sozial?
41:32It feels like we're looking at it.
41:41Now we have a talk show on the beach.
42:07To see women in the same mood.
42:13After that, it's her personal view.
42:17We don't talk about racist or racist.
42:20OK. Everybody, I feel like we should cruise.
42:24What do you guys think?
42:26Yeah. All right. You want to go?
42:28Yes.
42:29OK, let's go.
42:33It doesn't seem like the controversy of this garment is going away,
42:37even though the ban has been lifted.
42:40It's almost like she wasn't a human, like she wasn't Natalie.
42:43She was just this idea walking onto the beach
42:45and that everyone is free to have their opinion about it
42:49because it's such a controversial garment.
42:51It seems like she completely disappeared in it,
42:54like she was only the clothing that she was wearing.
42:59It's funny because I've done three sort of mundane things here.
43:03I've gone to the first day of school.
43:05I've paid a fine.
43:06And now I've gone swimming.
43:08And yet each of these things has ignited some sort of reaction.
43:13I understand how harrowing and how terrible these attacks have been for this country.
43:19But this sort of reactionary farce limiting what people can wear
43:26are ways to mask feelings that people don't really want to say out loud.
43:31Like, I'm afraid of these people or this religion scares me.
43:37And it's a real shame because women are bearing the brunt of the xenophobia
43:43because the debate is about clothing.
43:45And it's the only thing.
43:47I don't know.
43:55I'm afraid of these people.
43:55I'm afraid of them, but I'm afraid of them.
43:55But I'm afraid of them, and I'm afraid of them.
44:00And I'm afraid of them.
44:01But it's the only thing.
44:01I'm afraid of them.
44:01You
Comments