bobdina
05-03-2010, 02:51 PM
President Nicolas Sarkozy's government is drafting a bill that would make it illegal to wear the face-covering veil, making France the second European country after Belgium to move toward a ban of the garment.
Ministers hope to vote on a total ban on anyone hiding their face in public in July. But leaked documents have shown that men would be punished more harshly than women.
Women will face a much smaller fine of around £130, because they are "often victims who are not given any choice", said one of the authors of the law.
They would not be "unveiled in the street", but instead taken to a police station to be identified.
The law would create a new offence of "incitement to cover the face for reasons of gender", Le Figaro said.
It would state: "No-one may wear in public places clothes that are aimed at hiding the face."
The law would also apply to Muslim tourists.
President Nicolas Sarkozy has branded the garments "a sign of debasement", and the immigration minister Eric Besson has called the burkha "a walking coffin".
But opposition to the new law is strong.
"There will of course be European countries that will protest," foreign minister Bernard Kouchner told Europe 1 radio, citing Denmark and the Netherlands who see the ban as an infringement on religious freedoms.
"The United States are keen to defend religious freedom and there will be many NGOs and foundations that will want to show that we are mistaken," he added
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/7671116/Husbands-targeted-by-Frances-anti-burkha-law.html
Ministers hope to vote on a total ban on anyone hiding their face in public in July. But leaked documents have shown that men would be punished more harshly than women.
Women will face a much smaller fine of around £130, because they are "often victims who are not given any choice", said one of the authors of the law.
They would not be "unveiled in the street", but instead taken to a police station to be identified.
The law would create a new offence of "incitement to cover the face for reasons of gender", Le Figaro said.
It would state: "No-one may wear in public places clothes that are aimed at hiding the face."
The law would also apply to Muslim tourists.
President Nicolas Sarkozy has branded the garments "a sign of debasement", and the immigration minister Eric Besson has called the burkha "a walking coffin".
But opposition to the new law is strong.
"There will of course be European countries that will protest," foreign minister Bernard Kouchner told Europe 1 radio, citing Denmark and the Netherlands who see the ban as an infringement on religious freedoms.
"The United States are keen to defend religious freedom and there will be many NGOs and foundations that will want to show that we are mistaken," he added
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/7671116/Husbands-targeted-by-Frances-anti-burkha-law.html