France’s lower house of parliament Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a ban on any veils that cover the face — including the burqa, the full-body covering worn by some Muslim women.
The vote was 335 to 1, with 339 lawmakers not voting.
The measure must still go to the French Senate before it becomes law. The Senate is expected to vote on it in the week of September 20.
French people back the ban by a margin of more than four to one, the Pew Global Attitudes Project found in a survey this spring.
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.
The French Council of Ministers approved the measure in May, saying veils that cover the face “cannot be tolerated in any public place.” Their approval sent the bill to parliament.
The parliamentary vote is the latest step in France’s efforts to ban the burqa, niqab and other Muslim garments that cover a woman’s face.
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 bill envisions 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 would 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 measure would take effect six months after passage, giving authorities time to try to persuade women who veil themselves voluntarily to stop.
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.
Amnesty International has repeatedly urged French lawmakers not to approve the ban.
“A complete ban on the covering of the face would violate the rights to freedom of expression and religion of those women who wear the burqa or the niqab in public as an expression of their identity or beliefs,” said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International’s expert on discrimination in Europe, in May.
If the French bill is approved by the upper house and signed into law, it will be the first national ban in Europe on 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 tightly covers the hair and neck but not the face, and the chador, which covers the body but not the face, apparently would not be banned by either 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)
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17 Responses
Religious intolerance is disgusting. This move by France should be abhorred by all yidden.
this is the most horrific injustice i have seen in my lifetime.
do you think the french “feel like understanding” tefillin or tzitzi’s when the time comes?
news headline “france, germany, britain, spain declare islam illegal”.
thats the truth
A23 and username1a, there is a huge difference between what the Jews wear as religious attire and a burqa.
The Jewish way is known as the “Middle Way”. We have halachos of tznius but we keep it within certain boundaries. Most foremost is the willingness of Jewish women to be discreet and not to appear in public formats such as speakers at mass rallies or be interviewed on TV. A burqa or a niqab would not allow a Jewish woman to do that.
Incidentally, the photo illustration is of a niqab. A burqa is a light blue head-to-toe covering which totally covers the woman with the exclusion of a very thin mesh to cover her face to allow her to breath and see albeit with great difficulty.
However, with the past history of Arab women who have become suicide bombers, I think it is a great idea. That way, their concealed bomb belts won’t be hidden as easily.
Your Sister,
It’s cute how you think the Jewish way is “the Middle Way.” Go explain all the laws of taharas hamishpacha to a non-Jewish coworker. See how normal we are to everyone else.
This is their religion and it’s not like burqas are chokim, it does make sense.
A23, the laws of Taharas Hamishpacha are meant to reinstate a freshness to a marriage.
Burqas are a very crooked way of tznius coming from a people who are hypocritical like their lust for belly dancing or running off to Monaco to play crap shoot and throw the dice in their tight denim jeans, drink alcohol, and keep an eye out for women.
The Arabs are known as “Birdies” in Israel because they are the most lustful, immoral beings on earth whose cruelty and enslavement of women is legendary. The burqa is unnecessary if they really practiced what they preached. It is also a very real way to institute upgrades in security.
I didn’t know that burqa were a minhag. If it is, so why shouldn’t it be banned if they are not required under Sharia Law?
There is little doubt that this is the first of many steps. Other European countries have already outlawed or denounced Shechita. Some are interfering with our education. Next comes Shabbos, Mila and Chodesh. Let’s not forget that Russia did all their things in the name of protection and tolerance. This could be replayed anywhere. If it happens slowly enough, all the Russian rules can be enforced here in America, under the same, or a better, guise.
A23:
What “Your Sister” means is that our PUBLIC observance of religion is more “middle of the road”. Our women don’t cover their faces or entire bodies or do anything that extreme. Yes, they dress more modestly, but it’s not to a severe level for the most part. Taharas HaMishpacha is completely out of the public eye and therefore doesn’t fit in this debate. (And by the way, you’d be surprised how many non-Jewish people, when hearing of the guidelines of Tahras HaMishpacha exclaim, “That’s genius! That makes so much sense!”)
I agree with A23 this law is scary. I understand that they believe the burqa is degrading to women and I agree measures should be taken to punish those who force to wear them but to outlaw them from being worn, besides from religous prosecution is trampling on evreybodys freedom. The fact that the govt of a democratic society is passing such laws is scary, we’ll be next.
“…there is a huge difference between what the Jews wear as religious attire and a burqa…”-your sister
Dear sister: Sorry, the Torah specifically states that Rivka covered her face with a veil when she first saw Yitchak approaching here in the field, as she was arriving from lavan’s house.
So, you see, veils are quite normal in the Torah.
As a matter of fact, one possible reason for this whole controversy is to wake up our Jewish women to the need for more Tzneus (see YWN letter below).
If this comes to pass the French will soon ban tichels, and yarmulkas not to mention shechita and mila and probably outlaw the keeping of shabbos. All in the name of “liberté, égalité, fraternité”
I think gezeyras affecting kashrus/shechita are because some Yidden are taking sides to encourage opposition to Muslims among Christians. It could be the Burqa now, then the mechitsa later…….
Anyway, the vote is not overwhelming as stated in the title. 339 abstained from voting, about half the parliament.
Many years ago I was taking pictures of a friend at Brooklyn College who was wearing one of those fake beards for the purpose of making a slide show for Purim. Security came over and said he had to remove the beard since he was concealing his identity. Being honest people we couldn’t understand what the problem was and thought it a little silly but he certainly did take off the beard. I’m sure you all remember a few years ago there was a woman who wanted to have her picture taken for her driver’s license with her face covered. It went to court and she was denied. If we lived in a society of only honest people I would see nothing wrong with covering ones face. But we don’t. Therefore I don’t believe anybody should be allowed in public with their face covered. Too much of a security risk.
Since we don’t have neviim, we have absolutely no idea why things happen. Therefore it would behoove us not to speculate and assign blame. It’s just loshen horah against a klal. Very weighty stuff. No way to do teshuva.
goodyiddel, have you been drinking too much kissmiss lately?
This burqa ban doesn’t have the life expectancy of a house fly. If they even think about drawing a cartoon of a burqa, the fatwas come out and they burn Paris’ suburbs down and beat up random on-duty, armed cops for 3 weeks.
If the Jews conducted themselves the way the Muslims do, ALL meat on European supermarket shelves would bear hechsherim.
#16 mozeltov. this is abolutely no different than any antisemitic law thats ever been passed throughout history. and i wish we had the numbers that muslims do to revolt against injustices. its a sad truth the reason why we dont have those numbers…