Mirroring moves in Belgium and Spain, legislators in France begin debate this week on a bill aimed at banning the full-face Islamic veil in the country with Europe’s biggest Muslim minority. The legislation would make it illegal to wear the face-covering veil anywhere in public and impose fines of 150 euros to women caught in attire that President Nicolas Sarkozy has described as degrading to women.
The debate opening Tuesday at the National Assembly caps months of public wrangling over a move that is fraught with risk. Legal experts warn the broad scope of the law banning the veil in all public places as opposed to state institutions could be struck down by the constitutional court.
Muslim leaders fear it will stoke tensions by stigmatising France’s estimated five to six million Muslims, many of whom live in the volatile suburbs. Defending the move, PM Francois Fillon made the rare gesture of inaugurating a mosque in a Paris suburb last week, drinking mint tea and eating dates with Muslim leaders.
Mr Fillon said Muslims who wear face coverings are “hijacking Islam” by providing a “dark and sectarian image” of the religion that is “the opposite of the French Islam that you have contributed to build.”
That message has been well-received by most Muslims in France who see the burqa as foreign to their religious practices , but still, the debate has stirred resentment over what is seen as a fringe phenomenon. Fewer than 2,000 women wear the full-face veil in France, according to the interior ministry.
The bill would make it illegal for reasons of security for anyone to cover their face in public.