Men with Burqa-Clad Wives Unwelcome in France


(Paris, France) Since polling indicates that almost half of the French population considers Islam to be a threat to society, efforts are in progress to ban the burqa.

Muslim men who force their wives to wear a burkha are not welcome in France, the justice minister said yesterday.

Michele Alliot-Marie said husbands who make their wives wear a full body covering do not 'share the nation's values' and would have citizenship requests rejected.

She spoke out as the debate in France over the garments intensified. A government committee is considering whether to make it illegal to wear burkas and niqabs - where the face is covered - on the streets. [...]

Miss Alliot-Marie said that she would await the findings of the commission on the burkha, due later this month. But she added: 'There are still a certain number of basics on which we must stand firm.

'The wearing of the niqab or burkha is a problem that affects our ability to live together, the values of the republic and in particular human dignity.

'For instance, someone who would be seeking French citizenship and whose wife wears the full veil is someone who would not appear to be sharing the values of our country.

'Therefore in a case like that one, we would reject his request.'

President Sarkozy has said, "The burqa has no place in France." In response, al Qaeda in North Africa has threatened revenge.

In a somewhat related report, a survey released Friday in Germany found that nearly three-fourths of Berliners polled feared the spread of Islam.