Burqa ban moves one step closer

FRANCE has moved one step closer to banning women from wearing the burqa in public.

The draft law was adopted by MPs by 335 votes to one, a vote that was boycotted by Socialists, Greens and Communists.

The text will be examined by the Senate in September and, if it passes without modification, will become law.

The Socialist Party is expecting the senators to order a number of amendments. It also hopes to refer the text to the Conseil Constitutionnel.

The Socialists believe a total ban would be legally risky to enforce and it should be limited to public services and shops, not open spaces.

The legislation does not specifically target the burqa but refers to any attempt to “hide the face”.

Doing so in a public place would come with a e150 fine and/or a compulsory enrolment on a citizenship course. Anyone who forces a woman to wear the burqa faces a fine of up to e30,000 and a year in prison.

If passed, the law will come into effect in spring 2011, allowing six months for an “educational” campaign to raise awareness.

The government estimates that about 2,000 women in France wear the burqa.

A US state department spokesman said the concept of legislating on religious clothing was likely to prompt a long and complicated judicial battle.