France MPs' report backs Muslim face veil ban

[BardonGaruda]

A French parliamentary committee has recommended a partial ban on women wearing Islamic face veils.

The committee's near 200-page report has proposed a ban in hospitals, schools, government offices and on public transport.

It also recommends that anyone showing visible signs of "radical religious practice" should be refused residence cards and citizenship.

The interior ministry says just 1,900 women in France wear the full veils.



A law may follow, but MPs are divided over what to do

Gavin Hewitt
BBC Europe editor


Read more in Gavin Hewitt's blog
In its report, the committee said requiring women to cover their faces was against the French republican principles of secularism and equality.

"The wearing of the full veil is a challenge to our republic. This is unacceptable. We must condemn this excess," the report said.

The commission called on parliament to adopt a formal resolution stating that the face veil was "contrary to the values of the republic" and proclaiming that "all of France is saying 'no' to the full veil".

Presenting the report to the French National Assembly, speaker Bernard Accoyer said the face veil had too many negative connotations.

"It is the symbol of the repression of women, and... of extremist fundamentalism.


Alyaa Ebbiary: 'All the women I know wear it totally out of choice'
"This divisive approach is a denial of the equality between men and women and a rejection of co-existence side-by-side, without which our republic is nothing."

The report is expected to be followed by the drafting of a bill and a parliamentary debate on the issue.

The BBC's Hugh Schofield, in Paris, says the reasoning behind the report is to make it as impractical as possible for women in face veils to go about their daily business.

There is also a fear that an outright ban would not only be difficult to implement but would be distasteful and could make France a target for terrorism, our correspondent says.

France has an estimated five million Muslims - the largest such population in Western Europe.

Months of debate

The report follows months of public debate, including President Nicolas Sarkozy's intervention, saying all-encompassing veils were "not welcome in France".

REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
Parliament should pass a resolution denouncing full Muslim face veils
Ban the veil in all schools, hospitals, public transport and government offices
Bar foreign women from obtaining asylum or French citizenship if they insist on veiling their faces in state buildings
Take into account in asylum requests the coercion to wear the full veil as an indication of a wider context of persecution
Create a national school of Islamic studies


The Islamic veil across Europe
However, he did not explicitly call for a ban, saying "no-one should feel stigmatised" by any eventual law.

Opinion polls suggest a majority of French people support a full ban.

However, the parliamentary deputies have recommended that - for now - restrictions should be limited.

The committee suggests a ban inside public buildings, with those who defy the ban denied whatever services are on offer there - for example state benefits.

There are several types of headscarves and veils for Muslim women - those that cover the face being the niqab and the burka. In France, the niqab is the version most commonly worn.

The niqab usually leaves the eyes clear. It is worn with an accompanying headscarf and sometimes a separate eye veil.

The burka covers the entire face and body with just a mesh screen to see through.

The issue has divided France's political parties.

The Socialist opposition has come out officially against a ban, saying it would be difficult to enforce. It says it is opposed to full veils in principle, but some members have expressed fears about any ruling that could stigmatise Muslim women.

Meanwhile, the head of Mr Sarkozy's right-wing UMP party has already presented a bill in parliament supporting a full ban on grounds of security.

source BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8480161.stm

What do you guys think, is France going to far with these measures?

[Leif]

What do you guys think, is France going to far with these measures?

Of course they are.

France is filled with insane people. France's leaders are insane. France is generally a big loony bin.

[Khajit]

Yeah they're going too far. using an american i know as an "average" citizen there seem to be people buying into the idea that face veils are terrorist items.

[Pirian]

Of course they are.

France is filled with insane people. France's leaders are insane. France is generally a big loony bin.

Can I has Freedom Fries again?

[Leif]

On the upside it's refreshing to know that France suddenly sees Islamic extremism as a threat.

On the downside, this is like fighting cancer by popping a Viagra. Not only does their measure not actually stop Muslims from blowing themselves up in front of the Louvre, but it manages to do the equivalent of outlawing red t-shirts at the expense of having more Muslims threaten to kill the French people.

Maybe when terrorism hits their shores, they might forget the fact that it would put them on the same side as the United States and decide to actually fight.

[Plow]

Making me want some freedom toast.

Or some Freedom's mustard.

Damn, maybe some freedom cut green beans, too.

[Shojin]

On the bright side at least people will get to see the persons face before they get blown up by them

[Leif]

The Socialist opposition has come out officially against a ban, saying it would be difficult to enforce. It says it is opposed to full veils in principle, but some members have expressed fears about any ruling that could stigmatise Muslim women.

Meanwhile, the head of Mr Sarkozy's right-wing UMP party has already presented a bill in parliament supporting a full ban on grounds of security.

This is actually the most interesting part of the story.

The "socialist" party says it doesn't like "full veils in principle" (apparently because it's big on freedom and minimizing the nanny state, but I think its because Muslims are at the top of the victim hierarchy and a source for easy votes) and the "right-wing" party says it wants to stop people from wearing clothing.

Nothing they advocate makes any sense.

[Mizango]

loltoughfrench. They will fold like a cheap tent the first time someone remotely threatens to do something.

[Acturus]

The committee's near 200-page report has proposed a ban in hospitals, schools, government offices and on public transport.

Makes sense to me, just like enforcing speaking an official language in public works offices, or disallowing concealing garments on drivers license photos.

I don't care what it implies, but the letter of this law is alright with me.

[Demosthenes11]

On the upside it's refreshing to know that France suddenly sees Islamic extremism as a threat.

did you just equate veil wearing with extremism?

[Arvin]

french people are retarded. i had a shitty experience with a connecting flight in their airport and they were complete assholes.

[Arvin]

its like telling a black man he can't wear a do-rag!

[Khajit]

This is extra special considering that as far as I can recall only one Muslim woman has ever been involved in a terror attack and that was in Palestine/Israel within the last 5 years. There was no mention of if she wore the Veil.
er oops sorry. FIGHT THAT EVIL TERRORIST CLOTHING SO THAT ONE DAY WOMEN SHALL ALL PARADE AROUND NAKED! It's the only logical conclusion.
To the muslim women that practice that style of dress this is the western equivalent of women it being mandatory to run around in a thong/panties at public places.

[Mizango]

did you just equate veil wearing with extremism?

lol

[arus2001]

This is extra special considering that as far as I can recall only one Muslim woman has ever been involved in a terror attack and that was in Palestine/Israel within the last 5 years. There was no mention of if she wore the Veil.
er oops sorry. FIGHT THAT EVIL TERRORIST CLOTHING SO THAT ONE DAY WOMEN SHALL ALL PARADE AROUND NAKED! It's the only logical conclusion.
To the muslim women that practice that style of dress this is the western equivalent of women it being mandatory to run around in a thong/panties at public places.

How about men dressing as women?




Fundamentally, I scratch my head at the whole veiling practice. So, seeing it go, even if only specific locations, is no skin off my back. There's far more important things in the world to be getting uppity over than seeing a chick's face.

[Arvin]

you can equate this to telling christians 'sorry, you can't wear a cross because it can be used as a deadly weapon'

[Khajit]

How about men dressing as women?




Fundamentally, I scratch my head at the whole veiling practice. So, seeing it go, even if only specific locations, is no skin off my back. There's far more important things in the world to be getting uppity over than seeing a chick's face.

Well if it's traditional clothing for women then banning men from wearing them falls under whatever law bans you from doing the same to men wearing skirts and bras. If some guy in new york got arrested for wearing a skirt+panties there would be a shitstorm from activist groups.

[Pirian]

you can equate this to telling christians 'sorry, you can't wear a cross because it can be used as a deadly weapon'

Hey man, those things are pointy

[ZarakiKujata]

I dont get why people are so up in arms about this shit, France as a society is quite secular and they worked hard to set up their secular state if you know anything about the countrys history. They are as anal about christian and other religions symbols. Why should Muslims get special treatment when other religions in France don't?