France: conservative leader introduces bill to ban burqas in public

The leader of France‘s conservative party introduced legislation Jan. 12 that would ban wearing of the burqa in public and make it punishable by 750 euros. Jean-Francois Cope, leader of the Union for Popular Movement (UMP) in the National Assembly, is heading the legislative effort, spurred on by French President Nicholas Sarkozy’s announcement in June that those who wore the burqa were not welcome in France. The bill also has the support of some French socialists, as well as that of Prime Minister Francois Fillon. An official commission into the issue is expected to report by the end of January.

Cope has been pursuing legislation since December, in direct opposition to the National Assembly’s November decision not to push for specific legislation banning the burqa. The commission began hearings in July after being established a month earlier to address the issue. The controversy between the Muslim community and the secular French government has gone on for several years. In December 2008, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) unanimously ruled that there was no human rights violation when a French school expelled two Muslim students for refusing to remove their headscarves. In July of that year, a Moroccan woman’s citizenship application was denied because she failed to assimilate to French culture and practiced a type of Islam found incompatible with French values. The woman, identified only as Faiza M., is married to a French national, speaks French, has three children born in France—but wears a burqa covering her entire body except her eyes. (Jurist, Jan. 13)

Is this reactionary Islamophobia or a blow for women’s rights? Please vote here.

  1. Burkhas in France.
    This is neither against women or Islam.
    France is a soverign country and if they want to decide dress code they should be given the same respect as any other country, such as Saudi Ariabia.

    1. Reading comprehension problems
      We didn’t ask if this was a blow “against women,” which makes no sense, but whether it is a blow for women’s rights. Please read more carefully, and answer the poll.

      Thank you.

  2. French senate approves burqa ban

    The French Senate on Sept. 14 voted 246 to 1 to approve a bill that would make it illegal to wear the Islamic burqa or other full face veils in public. Under the legislation, women who wear the veil can be required by police to show their face, and, if they refuse, they can be forced to attend citizenship classes or be charged a US$185 fine. The proposed legislation would also make it a crime to force a woman to cover her face, with a penalty of one year in prison and a fine of $18,555. The bill was approved by the National Assembly in July. The legislation will now be handed over to the the Constitutional Council, which will have one month to confirm the law's legality. Those that oppose the legislation, such as Amnesty International, may still challenge the law in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, which has the ability to render a binding opinion on France.

    Legislation banning the use of Islamic burqas has been a point of contention recently in many countries. Last month, Austria's conservative Freedom Party called for a special vote on whether to ban face veils and the construction of minarets, two of the most visible symbols of the Islamic faith. In July, Spain's lower house of parliament rejected a proposal to ban the burqa and other full face veils by a vote of 183 to 162 with 2 abstaining. Also in July, UK Immigration Minister Damian Green indicated in an interview that Britain's coalition government would not seek or support a British law banning the wearing of the Islamic burqa or other face coverings in public. Green stated that banning the burqa would not be consistent with British society, where mutual respect for differences among cultures is important. (Jurist, Sept. 14)

  3. France: constitutional court approves burqa ban
    The French Constitutional Council ruled Oct. 7 that a bill making it illegal to wear the Islamic burqa, niqab or other full face veils in public, conforms with the Constitution. Under the legislation, women who wear the veil can be required by police to show their face, and, if they refuse, they can be forced to attend citizenship classes or be charged a US$185 fine. The legislation also makes it a crime to force a woman to cover her face, with a penalty of one year in prison and a fine of $18,555. The bill was approved by the National Assembly in July and by the Senate in September. Those that oppose the legislation, such as Amnesty International, may still challenge the law in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, which has the ability to render a binding opinion on France. It is thought the law will come into force sometime this spring.

    Legislation banning the use of Islamic burqas has been a point of contention recently in many countries. Last week, Dutch politician Geert Wilders said that the Netherlands will ban the burqa as part of the government’s plan to form a minority coalition. In August, Austria’s conservative Freedom Party called for a special vote on whether to ban face veils and the construction of minarets, two of the most visible symbols of the Islamic faith. In July, Spain’s lower house of parliament rejected a proposal to ban the burqa and other full face veils by a vote of 183 to 162 with 2 abstaining. (Jurist, Oct. 7)