Xavier Bertrand, head of the conservative UMP party, said the full veil "is simply a prison for women who wear it" and "will make no one believe" a woman wearing it wants to integrate.
France is moving closer to banning such veils, even though only a tiny minority of Muslim women wear them. A top UMP lawmaker last week filed legislation to ban the garb, and a parliamentary committee studying the issue for the past six months is to turn in its report on whether a law is needed by the end of the month. [telegraph.co.uk] Read more
Banning of burkas is oppressive, says the Respect leader Salma Yaqoob Plans to ban Muslim women from covering their faces in public areas are oppressive, the leader of the Respect party said yesterday.
Salma Yaqoob’s comments came as the UK Independence Party (UKIP) announced a formal policy that would make the wearing of garments such as the burka or the niqab — both of which conceal most of the face — to be illegal. [Times Online] Read more
