In Europe, the media's obsession with the supposedly oppressive nature of the veil is most easily seen in France, where a law enacted in 2004 banned the hijab in public schools. In the debate leading up to the ban, the media gave less attention to opponents of the law than it did to those politicians, public figures, and other commentators who argued that the law helped protect women from Islam's sexism. The media rarely solicited opinions from Muslim women or girls who wore the hijab and whose rationale for doing so did not confirm the narrative of oppressed Muslim women. The French media framed the debate as fundamentally about women's rights and equality, with the veil representing the antithesis of such values.

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 515