WUNRN
FRANCE - SENATE VOTES FOR MUSLIM
FACE VEIL BAN
Controversial bill sails through upper house of parliament after having
already been passed by the Assemblée nationale in July
Photograph: Stephane Mahe/Reuters
Lizzy Davies - Paris
14 September 2010
The French Senate
voted almost unanimously to ban face-covering Islamic veils in public, clearing
the final legislative hurdle for a bill whose supporters have been accused of
stigmatising the country's Muslim population.
With 246 votes for and just one
against, the bill sailed through the upper house of parliament after having
already been passed by the Assemblée nationale in July. Barring a last-minute
challenge from critics who believe it is unconstitutional, the ban should come
into effect in spring of next year.
"The full veil dissolves a
person's identity in that of a community. It calls into question the French
model of integration, founded on the acceptance of our society's values,"
said justice minister Michèle Alliot-Marie, presenting the law to the Senate.
Living with one's face uncovered, she added, was "a question of dignity
and equality".
A blanket ban which goes far
further than initial proposals to prevent women from wearing niqabs or burqas
in public services such as hospitals and buses, the law passed will make it
illegal for anyone to cover their face – with certain exceptions – anywhere in
public in
After six months of
"mediation" and a period during which police are likely to be given
detailed instructions on how to apply the law, the first penalties are expected
to be seen early next year. They will consist of fines of €150 for those found
wearing a face-covering veil as well as, or instead of, a "citizenship
course".
Delivered on a non-systematic,
case-by-case basis, the penalties will be much harsher for anyone found to be
forcing a woman to wear a niqab or burqa. They could be charged up to €30,000
and/or a year in prison.
Supporters of the ban – including
Nicolas Sarkozy, who has said the full Islamic veil "is not welcome"
on French soil – say it is a move made primarily in defence of women's rights
and secularism.
Critics of the ban, however, have
argued that the law affects a tiny minority – 2,000 women at most – and is
expected by many to stir tensions and reinforce marginalisation among some of
the country's five to six million Muslims.
The Parti Socialiste (PS) said it
would have preferred to see a more moderate ban. It has also reiterated legal
warnings that