Home > French scarf ban comes into force
A controversial law banning all religious symbols, including Islamic headscarves, from French state schools is to come into effect on Thursday.
The move comes as the lives of two French reporters, captured by Iraqi militants who want the ban scrapped, still hang in the balance.
The French government has refused to give in to the militants, who have threatened to kill the two.
But Paris is continuing a diplomatic effort to secure their release.
French Foreign Minister Alain Barnier went to Qatar on Wednesday - as he tries to get support from Arab countries.
The Arab League has said its contacts in Iraq believe the kidnappers have extended a deadline for the headscarf law’s repeal. The original deadline was Monday evening.
Three French Muslim community leaders are on their way to Baghdad to intercede on behalf of the captives.
On Tuesday an influential Iraqi Sunni organisation, the Committee of Ulema, said it had failed to make contact with the kidnappers.
A group calling itself The Islamic Army in Iraq says it is holding Christian Chesnot of Radio France Internationale and Georges Malbrunot of the daily Le Figaro.
Al-Jazeera TV showed a video on Monday in which both men called for the law banning headscarves to be overturned.
The ban is designed to maintain France’s tradition of strictly separating state and religion.
It forbids state school students from wearing "conspicuous" religious apparel. Jewish skullcaps and large Christian crosses are also banned.
Arab condemnation
The BBC’s Caroline Wyatt in Paris says the hostage-takers’ demands have had one unintended consequence - to unite France against them, making it much harder for radical Muslims to protest against the ban.
Nobody in France wants to be seen siding with the kidnappers, our correspondent says.
In recent days Mr Barnier has held meetings in Jordan and Egypt during a visit to the Middle East to seek support for attempts to get the men released.
Jordan has said it will use its contacts in Iraq - developed in freeing its own kidnapped citizens - to try to resolve the crisis.
Arab leaders across the region have urged that the two men be freed, describing France, which strongly opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq, as a friend of Arabs.
Dozens of foreigners have been abducted by militants in Iraq in recent months.
Most groups have employed kidnapping with the aim of driving out companies, individuals and troops helping US forces and the new Iraqi government.