French Senate votes to ban Islamic full veil in public

French Senate votes to ban Islamic 

full veil in public

The bill envisages fines of 150 euros for women wearing the full veil

,France's Senate has overwhelmingly approved a bill that would ban wearing the Islamic full veil in public.

The proposed measure was already backed by the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, in July.

The ban will come into force in six months' time if it is not overturned by constitutional judges.

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

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

Continue reading the main story

Muslim headscarves

The word hijab comes from the Arabic for veil and is used to describe the headscarves worn by Muslim women. These scarves come in myriad styles and colours. The type most commonly worn in the West is a square scarf that covers the head and neck but leaves the face clear.

The niqab is a veil for the face that leaves the area around the eyes clear. However, it may be worn with a separate eye veil. It is worn with an accompanying headscarf.

The burka is the most concealing of all Islamic veils. It covers the entire face and body, leaving just a mesh screen to see through.

The al-amira is a two-piece veil. It consists of a close fitting cap, usually made from cotton or polyester, and an accompanying tube-like scarf.

The shayla is a long, rectangular scarf popular in the Gulf region. It is wrapped around the head and tucked or pinned in place at the shoulders.

The khimar is a long, cape-like veil that hangs down to just above the waist. It covers the hair, neck and shoulders completely, but leaves the face clear.

The chador, worn by many Iranian women when outside the house, is a full-body cloak. It is often accompanied by a smaller headscarf underneath.

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, correspondents say.

(source:bbc),

French senate approves burqa ban,

Paris, France (CNN) -- 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.

French people back the ban by a margin of more than four to one, the Pew Global Attitudes Project found in a survey earlier this year.

Some 82 percent of people polled approved of a ban, while 17 percent disapproved. That was the widest support the Washington-based think tank found in any of the five countries it surveyed.

Clear majorities also backed burqa bans in Germany, Britain and Spain, while two out of three Americans opposed it, the survey found.

A panel of French lawmakers recommended a ban last year, and lawmakers unanimously passed a non-binding resolution in May calling the full-face veil contrary to the laws of the nation.

"Given the damage it produces on those rules which allow the life in community, ensure the dignity of the person and equality between sexes, this practice, even if it is voluntary, cannot be tolerated in any public place," the French government said when it sent the measure to parliament in May.

The law imposes a fine of 150 euros ($190) and/or a citizenship course as punishment for wearing a face-covering veil. Forcing a woman to wear a niqab or a burqa will be punishable by a year in prison or a 15,000-euro ($19,000) fine, the government said, calling it "a new form of enslavement that the republic cannot accept on its soil."

The French Council of State has warned that the ban could be incompatible with international human rights laws and the country's own constitution. The council advises on laws, but the government is not required to follow its recommendations.

The ban pertains to the burqa, a full-body covering that includes a mesh over the face, and the niqab, a full-face veil that leaves an opening only for the eyes. The hijab, which covers the hair and neck but not the face, and the chador, which covers the body but not the face, apparently are not banned by the law.

However, a 2004 law in France bans the wearing or displaying of overt religious symbols in schools -- including the wearing of headscarves by schoolgirls.

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life estimates that France has about 3.5 million Muslims, or about 6 percent of the population.

France does not keep its own statistics on religious affiliation of the population, in keeping with its laws requiring the state to be strictly secular.

(source:cnn)

French Senate Votes 246-1 to, Ban 

Muslim Burqas,

(Sept. 14) -- Following the lead of the National Assembly, the French Senate today voted overwhelmingly to ban full Islamic veils in public. The final tally was 246 in favor of enacting the new law, and one legislator voting against it. 

In July, the National Assembly voted 335-1 to pass the law, which bears the formal name "Forbidding the Concealing of the Face in the Public Space."Al-Jazeera reported that the text does not actually contain the words "veil" or "Islam."

Today's move, however, is clearly directed at the relatively small number of Muslim women who opt for covering their faces with full veils or garments such as burqas. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who supports the new law, has said that women who wear the burqa are "not welcome" in the country. 

Islam is France's second-largest religion, and the new law is expected to set off a new wave of controversy. Critics claim the restriction is a violation of individual rights that will keep observant Muslim women from leaving their homes rather than go outside without facial covering. The law's advocates maintain that it will prevent men from forcing their wives, sisters and daughters to wear the veil, which many regard as a symbol of submission.

Legal challenges to the proposed law will be heard by the country's Constitutional Council, and some within the government are already arguing that the law is unconstitutional. 

When will the new law go into effect?

If not overturned by French courts, and legal challenges are expected, the law will begin being enforced in six months' time, after a period of "education" during which authorities will notify women of the new law and its repercussions, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. 

What is the punishment for wearing a burqa?

According to The Associated Press, women who violate the new law face a fine of $195, mandatory classes in French citizenship or a combination of both. In addition, men who are found to force women to fully veil their faces could be fined $39,000, and could receive up to a year in prison if the female in question is a minor. 

Is France the only country seeking to ban the burqa?

Turkey banned all Muslim head scarves at universities in 1997 and has since loosened the restriction to those that cover the neck and face, the BBC reported, including the burqa. Egypt and Syria also recently banned burqas at their universities. Spain and Belgium are currently considering passing similar laws. 

Which types of veils are not allowed under the ban?

Under the new law, both the niqab, a facial scarf with a separate head covering, and the burqa would be outlawed in public spaces. According to estimates, roughly 2,000 women out of France's estimated Muslim population of up to 6 million wear such veils, the BBC reported. The law does not ban the hijab, a head scarf that leaves a woman's face uncovered.

(source:aolnews.com)

Muslim Disney Employee Claims Bosses Banned Headscarf, Hijab

A Muslim Disney employee, Imane Boudal, claims that Disney bosses in

 Anaheim Californiarefused to allow her to wear her hijab headscarf. She subsequently filed a federal discrimination suit at a court on Wednesday.

Imane was sent home three times without pay, and on the fourth time she tried to wear her hijab to work she was terminated. Disney claims that they allowed Boudal to wear her headscarf, but only in the absence of customers.

Disney also claims that they complied with laws, citing that they offered the employee alternative working arrangements during her regularly scheduled shift in which she would be allowed to wear her hijab.

Disney believes that the issue is with a long standing feud with the union.

Should women be allowed to wear their Hijab? It’s a tough question. With a lot of tensions between the eastern and western world, there has been more and more resistance to allowing women to wear their Muslim headscarves. In France, there was a ban on the burqa, which is a full face covering.

Also, one cannot overlook whether or not Disney would allow a Jewish individual to wear his Yarmulke to work, as well. IF they allow the Yarmulke, they should allow the hijab.

(source:techbanyan.com)

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