Why France Is Banning the Hijab for Their Olympic Athletes

After months of campaigning by sporting organizations, France has not reversed its decision to ban French athletes who observe the hijab from participating in the summer Olympics; a move that human rights organizations say is, at best, a contradiction of the nation’s pledge to deliver the first gender-equal games, and at worst, a breach of international human rights treaties.

“It shows Muslim women that when the French authorities talk about equality between men and women...