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French MPs vote to ban Islamic full veil in public
BBC ^ | July 13, 2010

Posted on 07/14/2010 10:17:08 AM PDT by NYer

France's lower house of parliament has overwhelmingly approved a bill that would ban wearing the Islamic full veil in public.

There were 335 votes for the bill and only one against in the 557-seat National Assembly.

It must now be ratified by the Senate in September to become law.

The ban has strong public support but critics point out that only a tiny minority of French Muslims wear the full veil.

Many of the opposition Socialists, who originally wanted the ban limited only to public buildings, abstained from voting after coming under pressure from feminist supporters of the bill.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has backed the ban as part of a wider debate on French identity but critics say the government is pandering to far-right voters.

After the vote, Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said it was a victory for democracy and for French values.

"Values of freedom against all the oppressions which try to humiliate individuals; values of equality between men and women, against those who push for inequality and injustice."

The vote is being closely watched in other countries, the BBC's Christian Fraser reports from the French capital Paris.

Spain and Belgium are debating similar legislation, and with such large-scale immigration in the past 20 or 30 years, identity has become a popular theme across Europe, our correspondent says.'Open-faced democracy'

The bill would make it illegal to wear garments such as the niqab or burka, which incorporate a full-face veil, anywhere in public.

It envisages fines of 150 euros (£119) for women who break the law and 30,000 euros and a one-year jail term for men who force their wives to wear the burka.

The niqab and burka are widely seen in France as threats to women's rights and the secular nature of the state.

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: burqa; france

The bill envisages fines of 150 euros for women wearing the full veil
1 posted on 07/14/2010 10:17:12 AM PDT by NYer
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To: NYer

I wonder when the crucifix and the star of david will be banned.


2 posted on 07/14/2010 10:25:40 AM PDT by Perdogg (Nancy Pelosi did more damage to America on 03/21 than Al Qaeda did on 09/11)
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To: NYer

Cue the “youth” riots in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . .


3 posted on 07/14/2010 10:39:36 AM PDT by RansomOttawa (tm)
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To: Perdogg

only those crucifixes blocking the recognition of a passport photo...

the french have signed their death warrants... there is a reason those faces must be covered...

teeman...


4 posted on 07/14/2010 12:50:49 PM PDT by teeman8r (NO vember is coming... vote them out)
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To: Perdogg; teeman8r; NYer

The crucifix and the star of David are already banned in Saudi Arabia, along with Bibles. The French are not banning you having a picture of Mecca or bringing your Koran. If you wear a crucifix or star of David such that your face can’t be seen then it is banned —> do you know anyone who wears either of those things in such a way?


5 posted on 07/16/2010 2:17:59 PM PDT by Cronos (Catholic = conservative)
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To: Cronos

so if a TSA worker confiscates a crucifix because he thinks it could be used as a weapon, it is okay with you?


6 posted on 07/16/2010 3:11:51 PM PDT by Perdogg (Nancy Pelosi did more damage to America on 03/21 than Al Qaeda did on 09/11)
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To: Perdogg
A big Crucifix necklace like what Goths wear, with metal sharp ends CAN be used as a necklace. Like all other objects of that nature (i.e. those that CAN be used as a weapon including paper opener knifes), should be kept in checked in luggage. The TSA worker is correct to not allow this on board as carry on luggage and the person will be told to go back and put it in checked in luggage.

Similarly, at the airport, the woman should remove her face covering of her burqa and the head covering, to enable identification.

Do you think it's ok for a person to wear a ski mask on board an aircraft?
7 posted on 07/17/2010 12:03:28 AM PDT by Cronos (Catholic = conservative)
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