France: Dozens of MPs support banning burqa, niqab
"If it were determined that wearing the burka is a submissive act, and that it is contrary to republican principles, naturally parliament would have to draw the necessary conclusions."
"French MPs in call to unveil Islamic dress code," by Chris Bremner for The Times, June 21:
France could bar Muslim women from wearing full veils in public, a government minister said at the weekend as parliament took action over concern about an increase in women who are wearing the niqab and burka in big cities.
The latest controversy over dress habits among France's six million Muslims follows public differences this month between presidents Obama and Sarkozy over the merits of legislating on religious clothing.
A group of 58 MPs from Left and Right called on Wednesday for parliament to react to the phenomenon of women who are adopting what they called oppressive head-to-toe Islamic dress that "breaches individual freedoms".
Industry minister and government spokesman Luc Chatel supported the MPs. "If it were determined that wearing the burka is a submissive act, and that it is contrary to republican principles, naturally parliament would have to draw the necessary conclusions," he said. Asked whether that would mean legislation, Mr Chatel replied: "Why not?"
The new debate over Muslim dress is reviving passions that surrounded the 2004 law banning religious headcover in French state schools. Andre Gerin, a Communist MP, led the motion for an inquiry, calling the burka and niqab "a moving prison" for women.
Women's groups, including some Muslim-led ones, back new measures against the practices of a growing but still small minority of radical Muslims.
Housing Minister Fadela Amara, a rights campaigner of Algerian background, said that she was alarmed by the number of women "who are being put in this kind of tomb". She added: "We must do everything to stop burkas from spreading."
Muslim leaders have mixed views about new legislation. Imam of the Paris Mosque Dalil Boubakeur supported an inquiry, saying that face covering for women was a fundamentalist practice originating in Afghanistan that was not prescribed by Islam. The national Muslim Council, which is less tied to the establishment, accused lawmakers of wasting time on a fringe phenomenon.
If it's a "fringe," fundamentalist practice, it stands to reason they should have no qualms about encouraging women to integrate into society and lose the face veil.
"To raise the subject like this ... is a way of stigmatising Islam," council leader Mohammed Moussaoui said. There are no precise figures but experts estimate that several thousand women, mainly born in France, have taken to full costumes with face covering. In 2004, when he was interior minister, Mr Sarkozy was not enthusiastic about the school headscarf ban and he remains wary of stigmatising Muslims.
UPDATE: Sarkozy: Burqa not welcome in France
Anti-dhimmitude, "Sarkozy Says Burqa Violates Dignity, 'Not Welcome'," by Helene Fouquet for Bloomberg,
-- French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the country's National Assembly should debate a ban on the burqa, the Muslim garment that conceals a woman's face and body, saying it was "not welcome" in France
"The burqa is not a religious sign, it's a sign of servitude," Sarkozy said today in a speech to both houses of parliament at the Versailles Palace on the outskirts of Paris. Calling it a violation of women's "dignity and freedom," Sarkozy said the burqa "will not be welcome on French soil."
A group of French lawmakers have called for a total burqa ban. Sarkozy asked them to "open a debate" on the matter. Only a small minority of women wear burqas and the Opposition Socialist Party would favor a ban "of the burqa or the nikab," Benoit Hamon, its spokesman, told Le Monde newspaper today.
The clothing rule would come five years after France outlawed head scarves and other "ostentatious" religious symbols, including large Christian crosses and Jewish skullcaps, in state offices and schools. The 2004 law prompted protests in France and criticism from some Muslim groups, including the second-in-command of al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri.
Sarkozy's speech today marked the first time a French president has addressed lawmakers since 1875 after a law preventing such direct communication was overturned last year.
Budget Minister Eric Woerth said yesterday the Burqa "should not exist in France." Sarkozy characterized it today as a "fence" in front of women's faces....
