France endorses ban on "full veil" or “burqa”Tags: News, Society
Oct 8, 2010 05:07 Moscow Time
Photo: EPA
The Constitutional Council of France on Thursday approved a slight refinement of the bill which prohibits the wearing of full-face veils in public places and on the street.
In September, the project was approved in the Senate’s upper-house, anf d then it was finally approved by the French parliament and went to the Constitutional Council and the president of the republic, RIA Novosti reported.
The authors of the document introduced a clarification, saying that the law could not be applied in places of worship, even if they are open to the public because such a prohibition violates the right to freedom of religion. The related provision will be removed from the text of the bill, which must now be signed by the president of the republic.
The bill proposed a ban on the wearing of "full veils", also known by the name burqa, which covers the face, leaving only a narrow slit for the eyes. Violators are to face fines of 150 euros, or community service courses on how to be a respectable citizen.
In addition, the law provides a penalty of 30,000 euros and a year in prison for those who would force women to wear the "full veil", and twice the punishment for those who would pressure juveniles to do so. The ban will come into force only in the spring of 2011. The authors suggest delaying the he bill for six months in order to clarify the law to the public.
The initiator of the bill was made by the ruling conservative party and its leader, President Nicolas Sarkozy who has repeatedly said that full-face covers are "degrading to women".
The largest opposition to the bill comes from the Socialist Party of France which has also condemned the wearing of a "full veil", but is only in favor of its prohibition in public institutions, and not on the street.
Some French jurists believe that if the bill passes, those that are displease with it may file a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and win the case.
The Muslim community of France, the most numerous in Europe, has a population of 5 to 6 million people. Although this is the case, according to the Interior Ministry, only about 1,900 women in the country wear clothing which completely covers the face and body.
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