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Latest update: 24/04/2010
- France - Islamic veil
French police fine female driver for wearing full Islamic veil
A female driver in France has been fined by the police for wearing a niqab (Islamic face covering) while driving. The matter is escalating, with it emerging that the husband has now been accused of polygamy and that his nationality may be revoked.
By News Wires (text)
REUTERS - A 31-year-old French woman was fined for wearing a niqab while driving, a further sign of France’s bid to clamp down on the face-covering Islamic veil which President Nicolas Sarkozy says demeans women.
The unnamed woman told LCI television on Friday that police stopped her last month while she was driving in the city of Nantes, near the French Atlantic coast.
She was wearing a black niqab, that covers the face but leaves the eyes exposed. Police handed her a 22-euro ($29) fine, saying her clothing posed a « safety risk » to her driving.
"My eyes were not covered. I can see just like you and my field of vision was not obstructed," said the woman, who did not give her name. She said she would appeal against the decision.
The incident has now reached ministerial level.
On Friday, the Interior Minister requested the Immigration Minister look into revoking the French nationality of the driver’s husband as information he possessed showed the man was a polygamist married to four women with 12 children.
"Each of these women benefit from single parent benefits and ... each one wears the full veil," Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux said in the letter seen by Reuters, adding he had asked the local authorities to look into possible benefit fraud.
"I would appreciate it, should these factors prove true, if you could study whether this individual could be stripped of the French nationality," Hortefeux said, addressing Immigration Minister Eric Besson.
According to the woman’s Algerian-born husband acquired French nationality in 1999.
The controversy comes just two day’s after Sarkozy backed a strict public ban of the veil, commonly referred to in France as the burqa, eschewing more moderate proposals that focused on limits in state institutions such as schools and town halls.
Polls have shown while most French voters back a ban, legal experts have warned it could violate the country’s constitution. France’s highest court has warned the government that a complete ban could be unlawful.
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Comments (9)
Burqa
I remember as a child of around 12/13 years of age being in a car in London when our car and a taxi stopped at some traffic lights. I looked out of my window to find a person with covered head and Burqa looking at me all in Black, i can't tell you the fright and fear that it gave me.
Having since lived in Lebanon in which all religions live together(whereby no face is covered by Muslims)and lived in Saudi Arabia whereby law.... EVERY woman has to cover their head,not face.If you get caught outside with your head uncovered your husband is fined and maybe put into prison.If you get caught 3 times for this a offence,then once your Husband has finished his prison sentence he is deported. This 'BURQA' has nothing to do with the ''Muslim religion'' it is not stated in the ''KORAN'' it was invented by man'' The woman has no say or choice in the matter.I think for humanitarian reasons alone that this practice should be stopped I am delighted that France is the first to be doing something serious on this and other matters and hope it will be the start of many other countries to follow this ban.
If they like the veil
If they love the veil that much an they want to be against the french law and culture they could wear it freely in their countries
desegration of National Flag
Yes, that person should be punished, as will be the two in California, who took down a US Flag and hoisted the Canadian
burqua ban
I am 100% with you Claude!!
All human beings are born
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. article 1 of universal declaration fo human rights.
Burka fine
It sounds like the French government needs to dismiss quite a few officials if they are granting citizenship to a man and his FOUR wives!
Perhaps a department that checks for these things should be created since it appears they have none.
Each of these women are getting welfare too?
Sounds like the American system!
burqa banned
good day everyone, its a baseless issue,i would suggest for moderate way out, no authority or goverment can just impose banned on any religious belief,there are ways to tackle it if it possess security threat, always a lady officer can be there to assure the identity of the women adorning burqa, its a fruitless banned, more people will be reverting to ISLAM, in another way the french authority is helping to make the non muslims to come closer to ISLAM.
keep it up and the banned will not help anyone anywhere.
take care.
Viva Freedom.
what a free country.
burqua ban
Why would we accept the burqua in public life when it is a danger to society? I don't believe you can see well with the burqua when driving and any driver should have his/her face visible from the police if they intend to stop us on the road. Why do we have a picture on our driver's licence? To match a car's driver's face with his/her licence.
People who want to wear these types of clothing are free to go to countries where they originated from. Nobody in the civilized world will stop them from doing it, except if they committed a serious crime. Freedom is good as long as it goes with respecting the values and customs of the country we come to live in.
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