France bans veiled women fashion shows

10/5/2004 4:00:00 PM GMT

Two fashion shows for veiled Muslim women were banned in a Paris suburb by French authorities who claimed that the events may disrupt public order.

In a formal order, authorities banned "Ready-to-wear for Muslim women" from staging twice in Montreuil-sous-Bois.

The order also said that the catwalk shows were barred because they were designed to show "the fashion relevance of items of clothing such as the hijab and the burqa", "trivialize the wearing of the Islamic headscarf" and were closed to men.

"A serious disruption to public order could result," the order said.

French officials said that the town, led by Communist-linked mayor Jean-Pierre Brard, took the decision after receiving complaints from many pro-secularism associations.

The first show was planned for October 3, and police confirmed that it didn’t take place. But postings on an Internet chat room said that the second catwalk event would go on as scheduled on October 10, somewhere in the Paris area. It did not mention an exact location.

The announcement that the two shows organized by the "Jasmeen" label were banned came as spring-summer 2005 fashion week started in Paris.

France | Religion | |