France, September 15: The French Senate debates Tuesday whether to ban the burqa-style veil, a move that affects only a tiny minority of the country’s Muslim women but has significant symbolic repercussions.
Muslims believe the latest legislation is one more blow to France’s second religion, and risks raising the level of Islamophobia. The proposed law was passed overwhelmingly by the lower house of Parliament, the National Assembly, on July 13. The expected green light from the Senate would make the proposed law definitive once the President signs off on it — barring amendments and an eventual legal challenge.
The measure would outlaw face-covering veils in streets. About 2,000 women wear such veils in France. Kenza Drider, however, said she’ll flirt with arrest. “It is a law that is unlawful,” said Drider, a mother of four. “It is … against individual liberty, freedom of religion, liberty of conscience, she said. “I will continue to live my life as I always have with my full veil,” she said.
–Agencies–