Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Niqab Ban Unconstitutional?

President Nicolas Sarkozy of France is pushing for a full ban on Niqab - or traditional Muslim scarves worn by women to cover everything but their eyes, however he also wants to ban the wearing of the burqa. "The full veil “hurts the dignity of women and is unacceptable in French society,” Mr. Chatel quoted Mr. Sarkozy as telling the cabinet. " But the courts say that unless is has some security benefit, they will have to claim the bill unconstitutional since it is based on a personal view. "The council said it would be clearer legally to simply issue an order that women would have to uncover their faces for identity checks as required. A law had to be based on the protection of public order, the council said, not on the grounds of personal dignity. "

I fully agree and I had read the article back in 2004 where France had banned any religious affiliation in schools, while here - even stated in the article - it singles out Muslims. This bill is highly unconstitutional and even though I could see where the the threat may lie, Sarkozy is taking it much to far. Not all Muslims are a terror threat.

Submitted by Tieren Dokes
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/world/europe/22france.html?ref=world

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