Niqab ban in France

LONDON: A French parliamentary committee founded last year has released a nearly 200-page report urging their government to impose a partial ban of the niqab. The committee, which was set up following French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s remarks that the full veil was “a sign of subservience [and] debasement,” suggests that face coverings should not be allowed when using public services, such as hospitals, government buildings and on public transport.
The proposal advises that any woman who does not remove the niqab or burka inside such buildings would be refused access to the service. There would be no fine for breaking the law as some leaders had suggested and the women would be allowed to cover their faces in the street.
The report stated that “the wearing of the full veil is a challenge to our republic. This is unacceptable. We must condemn this excess.”
About 5 million Muslims live in France, making it Western Europe’s largest population of Muslims and according to French police and Interior Ministry figures; fewer than 2000 women wear either the niqab or burka. Of these, the majority are young Muslims and about 500 are converts to Islam.
In 2004, the hijab was banned in schools, as the French tradition of laïcité - or secularism – is increasingly becoming more implemented and visible. In August 2009, a French Muslim woman was banned from wearing the burkini in a swimming pool in near Paris, which cited hygiene concerns.
The report was presented to the French National Assembly by speaker Bernard Accoyer who stated that a veil which covers the face has too many negative connotations and that it goes against the French republican symbols of secularism and equality. He said “It is the symbol of the repression of women, and… of extremist fundamentalism.
“This divisive approach is a denial of the equality between men and women and a rejection of co-existence side-by-side, without which our republic is nothing.”
However, many critics have suggested that Muslim women who wear the niqab or Burka in France risk being ostracized further by the proposed ban, which may perpetuate the barrier between them and other members of society by causing them to stay away from anywhere that denies them the right to cover their faces.
Most French political leaders support the partial ban and figures indicate that, despite heavy criticism, and the majority of French citizens also support the move. The Socialist opposition, despite their disapproval of the niqab and burka has come out officially against the ban, citing difficulties in enforcing it although some members have expressed concerns about any ruling that could further stigmatise Muslim women.
BM