A Paris-based Moroccan journalist, Manal Fkihi, said she will appeal the French regulation which prohibits Muslim women from taking press ID card photos in hijabs.

Manal Fkihi, a 25-year-old journalist, is fighting for her right to work without compromising her identity. Her application for a press card was rejected by the CCIJP (Commission de la Carte d’Identité des Journalistes Professionnels), a commission to issue ID cards for professional journalists in France, citing a requirement that ID photos meet the same standard as passports, which prohibit head coverings. Fkihi argues that this rule is discriminatory and that a press card is a professional card, not a form of ID.

France forbids head coverings in passport photos, unlike Britain where they are permitted for religious reasons.

Fkihi’s lawyer, Slim Ben Achour, plans to appeal the decision to the CCIJP and, if necessary, to the administrative court.

Fkihi says that she was once offered a television journalism job, on the condition that she did not wear her headscarf. “What is crazy is that it was for an Arabic-speaking post. They want our skills but without our identities,” she said, declining to name the media organization.

France’s laws on secularism have been criticized by some rights groups, who argue that they target Muslims. While there is no national legislation covering non-state workers, some organizations have created their own rules. Fkihi believes that these rules are unfair and that she should be able to work without compromising her identity.

The issue is not just about Fkihi’s right to work, but also about the marginalization of veiled women in the profession. By appealing the decision, Fkihi hopes to combat this marginalization and pave the way for other veiled women to succeed in their careers.

Source: U.S. News & World Report