French Muslim women push back on the politics of the hijab

‘It’s my choice. It’s my life.’

It was, to many observers, just an ordinary campaign poster. Two women and two men, dressed in business casual, stood smiling in front of what looked like a park. Above their heads, in bold but cheery font, read the words “Different, but united for you!” in French.

But the candidate on the left, Sara Zemmahi, was wearing a headscarf — a decision that has become decidedly unordinary in French politics.