French panel proposes partial ban on Muslim veil

A panel of French law-makers on Tuesday (27 January) published a report proposing that the Burqa be banned from public schools, hospitals, government offices and public transport.

After six months of deliberation, the 32-member cross-party parliament commission said the face-covering Burqa did not fit French values. "The wearing of the full veil is a challenge to our republic. This is unacceptable," its report says.

It suggests that Burqa-clad women not be allowed to obtain work visas or French citizenship.

The issue has divided the French for several months, with President Nicolas Sarkozy setting the tone last year by saying the full veil was "not welcome because it is contrary to our values and contrary to the ideals we have of a woman's dignity."

Although only a tiny minority - around 2,000 - of the country's 5 million Muslims wear the garment, a recent poll showed that 57 percent of the French would back a ban.

Many in Mr Sarkozy's centre-right UMP party favour an outright ban but this is thought likely to be rejected by French courts.

"There's full support for not allowing people to be veiled in all cases of public service, be it a town hall, a post office or a bank," said centre-right politician Bernard Accoyer, the president of the National Assembly, when the report was published.

"We'd like to extend the ban to all public spaces, but we need to take the time to get the law right."

Opposition Socialists, who boycotted the vote on the report due to the way the debate is being conducted in France, are against the veil but remain divided on how to approach the issue.

Jamel Debbouze, a Parisian-born comedian of Moroccan background, condemned the plan. "People who go down that path are racists," he said, according to Reuters, adding: "This debate is sterile and dangerous electioneering."

It is now up to parliament to decide whether to adopt a non-binding resolution in the report, suggesting that the full veil is "contrary to the values of the republic" and then decide if a law should be passed on the issue. But nothing is expected to happen until after regional elections in March.

In 2004, the French government - citing the country's secularist codes - banned the wearing of "conspicuous" religious symbols, including Muslim headscarves, by pupils in state schools and by public sector workers.