France has recently announced a ban on children wearing the Abaya, a loose-fitting, full-length robe, in state-run schools. What is the primary reason cited by France for implementing this ban on religious signs in educational institutions?

France will ban children from wearing the Abaya - the loose-fitting, full-length robe worn by some of the Muslim women - in state-run schools. France has a strict ban on religious signs in state schools and government buildings, arguing that they violate secular laws. Wearing a headscarf has been banned since 2004 in state-run schools. In 2010, France banned the wearing of full-face veils in public which provoked anger in France's France has enforced a strict ban on religious signs at schools since the 19th Century, including Christian symbols such as large crosses, in an effort to curb any Catholic influence from public education. About France Capital: Paris             Prime minister: Élisabeth Borne                  Currency: Euro