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France vote on banning the burqa

This week, French politicians are set to conduct a final vote on a law that prohibits face-covering veils in public areas, although the constitutional court may become involved.

The bill does not mention Islam; however, it has been advocated by Nicolas Sarkozy as a measure against veils like the burqa, aimed at protecting Muslim women from being compelled to wear full face coverings.

The senate vote follows an earlier action in France’s National Assembly, where legislation was passed in July with a vote of 335 to one, banning the wearing of such garments in public. The upper house is expected to confirm this decision.

Other European nations are considering similar prohibitions.

Sarkozy’s resolve to ban these garments has garnered sufficient political backing to enact it. Critics assert that such measures undermine French and European human rights laws.

The bill broadly defines public space to encompass not only government buildings and public transport but also all streets, markets, and thoroughfares.

Comparable laws are currently under consideration in Belgium, Spain, and Southern Italy.

Approximately 1,900 women among the 5-6 million Muslims in France wear such veils.

This move appears to appease anti-immigration voters and distract from France’s economic issues.

Most French Muslims originate from the country’s former colonies in North and West Africa, and the wearing of the veil is uncommon, unlike in the Arabian Peninsula or Pakistan, where niqabs and burqas are part of cultural tradition.

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