French Burqa Ban Starts Monday - Updated



On Monday, France will become the first European nation to enforce a burqa ban.

Under a ministerial directive, anyone refusing to lift his or her veil to submit to an identity check can be taken to a police station. There, officers must try to persuade them to remove the garment, and can threaten fines.

A woman who repeatedly insists on appearing veiled in public can be fined 150 euros (216 dollars) and ordered to attend re-education classes.

Critics are skeptical as to whether the law can be effectively enforced since the ban had to be written without referencing any religion. Therefore, any kind of face covering will supposedly be banned.

In any event, social tensions are expected to be stirred. Displeasure may be expressed by youths setting fire to a larger-than-normal number of cars.

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French Approve Burqa Ban
[Previous 9/15/10 post bumped]
(Paris, France) According to polling, there is overwhelming support for the burqa ban in France.

The French Senate approved Tuesday a law banning any veils that cover the face -- including the burqa, the full-body covering worn by some Muslim women -- making France the first European country to plan such a measure.

The law passed by a vote of 246 to 1, with about 100 abstentions coming essentially from left-leaning politicians.

The legislation was overwhelmingly approved by the lower house of parliament in July and will go into effect next spring.

Meanwhile, only minutes after the burqa ban was approved, the Eiffel Tower was evacuated on a bomb scare that followed an al-Qaeda warning. About 25,000 people were ushered away from the landmark.

Police conducted a level-by-level search but didn't find any bomb.

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6/19/09 - Proposed Ban of Burqa in Public