The French Senate on Tuesday approved a bill to ban the headscarf in sports competitions.

According to media sources, the Senate (the first chamber of the French parliament) approved the bill with 210 votes in favour, 81 against and 38 abstentions, while 19 members did not take part in the vote.

The bill, introduced to the Senate by Senator Michel Savin of the Republican Party, also includes a ban on communal prayer at public sports venues.

Left-wing senators accused members of the Republican Party, which has a majority in the General Assembly, of targeting Muslim women with the bill.

The bill is not the first of its kind in the country, having been preceded by a series of resolutions that Muslims in the country say are aimed at harassing them.