London, January 12: French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has told MPs he’s in favour of banning the full Islamic veil through a raft of legal and parliamentary measures.
Mr Fillon has told a meeting of deputies from his governing right-wing UMP party that parliament should adopt a resolution outlining France’s rejection of the burqa and that several “legislative texts and regulations” should follow.
Her waded into a heated debate over whether to ban Muslim women from wearing the full veil, known as the niqab or burqa, just weeks before a parliamentary panel was due to release a report on the issue.
Many politicians from the left and right have cautioned that a draconian law banning the head-to-toe veil would be difficult to enforce and probably face a challenge in the European rights court.
Home to Europe’s biggest Muslim minority, France set up the special panel six months ago to consider whether a law should be enacted to ban the burqa.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said that the burqa is not welcome in France but has not stated publicly whether legislation should be enacted.
France’s political establishment is divided on whether to ban the burqa, with the opposition Socialists saying that they opposed a law even though they believed Muslim women should be discouraged from wearing the full veil.
A parliamentary resolution would provide the governing majority with political cover, by making a national statement, but there could also be amendments introduced to amend security laws, according to deputies.
—Agencies