Human rights group pulls hijab campaign tweets after backlash in France

A top human rights group pulled a tweet supporting respect for Muslim women and hijabs after receiving backlash from French politicians. 

The Council of Europe took down a tweet that promoted a graphic with the slogan “Beauty is in diversity as freedom is in hijab.” The graphic included a split image of one woman wearing a hijab and one woman not wearing a hijab, the BBC reported.

The image was in support of a campaign started by Femyso, a collection of youth Muslim groups in Europe.

The human rights group told the BBC it took the tweet down, saying it needed to “reflect on a better presentation of this project.”

France’s youth minister, Sarah El Haïry, was one of the top officials to object to the campaign, saying it was encouraging women to wear hijabs, according to the BBC. 

“It’s when women take their veil off that they become free, not the other way around,” Marine Le Pen, a presidential candidate for France, said in a tweet.

Hande Taner, president of Femyso, responded to the backlash in an interview with BBC, saying it highlights anti-Muslim sentiments. 

The response to the campaign is “another example of how the rights of Muslim women are non-existent to those who claim to represent or protect notions such as liberty, equality and freedom.”

The Hill has reached out to the Council of Europe for comment.