M A I N   N E W S

France bans burqa in public

Paris, April 11
France today officially banned women from wearing full-face veils in public places. Though other European countries have drawn up bans on the burqa, France is the first to risk stirring social tensions by putting one into practice.

French officials estimate that only around 2,000 women, from a total Muslim population between four and six million, wear the full-face veils that are traditional in parts of Arabia and South Asia.

But many Muslims and rights watchdogs accuse French President Nicolas Sarkozy of targeting one of France's most vulnerable groups to signal to anti-immigration voters that he shares their fear of Islam being a threat to French culture.

The police on Saturday said they arrested 59 persons, including 19 veiled women, who turned up for a protest in Paris over the issue, while two more were detained as they attempted to travel to the rally from Britain and Belgium.

Some critics worry the law may be hard to enforce, since it had to be drawn up without reference to religion to ban any kind of face covering in public, and since police officers will not be allowed to remove women's head coverings.

Anyone refusing to lift his or her veil to submit to an identity check can be taken to a police station. There, officers must try to persuade them to remove the garment, and can threaten fines.

A woman, who repeatedly insists on appearing veiled in public, can be fined 150 euros and ordered to attend re-education classes.

Anyone found guilty of forcing someone else to hide his or her face "through threats, violence, constraint, abuse of authority or power for reason of their gender", the law imposes a fine of 30,000 euros and a year in jail.

Among other European countries, Belgium's parliament has approved a similar law, but is yet to enforce it. — AFP

The Ban stipulates

* A woman insisting on appearing veiled in public can be fined 150 euros and ordered to attend re-education classes.

* Anyone found guilty of forcing someone else to hide his or her face through threats, violence, abuse of authority or power for reason of their gender, would be fined 30,000 euros, and a year in jail.