CAIRO, Egypt (AP) – Iraqi militants have kidnapped two Frenchmen to protest France’s ban on students wearing Islamic head coverings in public schools, according to a tape aired by Al-Jazeera television.
The Qatar-based satellite news channel said it had received a tape from a group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq showing several seconds of video footage with two men talking.
Al-Jazeera did not say when it received the tape, which could not be immediately authenticated.
The French Foreign Ministry said it had no immediate information.
The station’s newsreader said the group described the French law banning religious apparel in public schools as “an aggression on the Islamic religion and personal freedoms.”
The group, according to the newsreader, gave the French government 48 hours to overturn the law, without mentioning any ultimatum.
The newsreader said the first hostage who appeared on the tape spoke in poor Arabic, saying, “We are being held by the Islamic Army in Iraq.”
The second hostage spoke French.
The French law, which takes effect Wednesday, forbids public school students from wearing religious apparel and “conspicuous” signs showing their religious affiliation. That includes Jewish skullcaps and large Christian crosses.
However, French authorities have made clear the new law is aimed at removing Islamic head scarves from classrooms.
The law sparked protests at home and abroad, with many Muslims saying they felt unfairly targeted.
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