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News
French MPs urge ban on face veil
Posted on ยป Wednesday, January 27, 2010
PARIS: A French parliament report yesterday called for a ban on the full
Islamic veil, saying Muslim women who wear the burqa were posing an
"unacceptable" challenge to French values.
After six months of hearings, a panel of 32 legislators recommended a ban on
the face-covering veil in all schools, hospitals, public transport and
government offices, the broadest move yet to restrict Muslim dress in France.
"The wearing of the full veil is a challenge to our republic.
This is unacceptable," the report said. "We must condemn this excess."
The commission, however, stopped short of proposing broad legislation to outlaw
the burqa in the streets, in shopping centres and other public venues after
raising doubts about the constitutionality of such a move.
"The wearing of the full veil is the tip of the iceberg," said communist
lawmaker Andre Gerin, the chair of the commission, who presented the report to
the parliament speaker.
"There are scandalous practices hidden behind this veil," said Gerin who vowed
to fight the "gurus" he said were seeking to export a radical brand of
fundamentalism and sectarianism to France.
The commission called on parliament to adopt a resolution stating that the
all-encompassing veil was "contrary to the values of the republic" and
proclaiming that "all of France is saying 'no' to the full veil".
But President Nicolas Sarkozy sought to reassure France's estimated six million
Muslims, saying in a speech at a cemetery for French Muslim soldiers that
freedom to practise religion was enshrined in the constitution.
Denmark, the Netherlands and Austria are also studying measures to ban the full
veil.
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