Woman 'fined' for wearing veil
Source: Agencies |
April 13, 2011, Wednesday
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Print Edition
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A WOMAN has been ticketed in a suburban Paris shopping center for wearing a face veil, in the first reported sanction under a new ban on the garments, police said yesterday.
Another woman in another Paris suburb was stopped for wearing a veil, but was let go with a warning.
The inconsistent response illustrates the challenge for towns with a large Muslim community in enforcing a law that some view as Islamophobic. Though such veils are very rare in France, many of the country's at least 5 million Muslims see the ban as a stigma. Islam is France's second-largest religion after Catholicism.
The ban also has been criticized by Iran's government and activists in Jordan.
President Nicolas Sarkozy says such veils imprison women and wanted a ban to uphold French values of equality and secularism.
A 27-year-old was stopped by police in the mall parking lot in the town of Mureaux, regional police said. She was handed a ticket that requires her to pay a 150-euro ($216) fine or register for citizenship classes within a month.
Police said the exchange was brief and calm. The incident occurred on Monday, the day France's ban on veils such as the niqab and burqa came into effect.
Another woman was stopped yesterday for wearing a veil in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis. The 35-year-old was brought to the police station and reminded of the law, police said.
While these were the first publicly reported incidents, it was unclear how many women have been stopped so far nationwide. The French government has estimated only about 2,000 women in France wear such veils
Another woman in another Paris suburb was stopped for wearing a veil, but was let go with a warning.
The inconsistent response illustrates the challenge for towns with a large Muslim community in enforcing a law that some view as Islamophobic. Though such veils are very rare in France, many of the country's at least 5 million Muslims see the ban as a stigma. Islam is France's second-largest religion after Catholicism.
The ban also has been criticized by Iran's government and activists in Jordan.
President Nicolas Sarkozy says such veils imprison women and wanted a ban to uphold French values of equality and secularism.
A 27-year-old was stopped by police in the mall parking lot in the town of Mureaux, regional police said. She was handed a ticket that requires her to pay a 150-euro ($216) fine or register for citizenship classes within a month.
Police said the exchange was brief and calm. The incident occurred on Monday, the day France's ban on veils such as the niqab and burqa came into effect.
Another woman was stopped yesterday for wearing a veil in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis. The 35-year-old was brought to the police station and reminded of the law, police said.
While these were the first publicly reported incidents, it was unclear how many women have been stopped so far nationwide. The French government has estimated only about 2,000 women in France wear such veils
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