The ban of religious symbols : case study of veiled Muslim women in France in the light of the European Convention on Human Rights

Abstract

The aim of my thesis is not only to show to what extent the ban on religious symbols, mainly the wear of headscarves, is considered a violation of the European Convention on Human rights concerning international law but also how secularism is one of the main complex and restricting elements for freedom of religion. In this context, veiled Muslim women struggle to manifest their religion freely, including wearing their hijab or burqa. In this thesis, there is a necessity to show through different cases and situations that Muslim women are not given their complete freedom of choice by restricting their rights, especially wearing the headscarf, which makes them more isolated and does not give them more chances to integrate while respecting their freedom of religion.