French Burqa Ban Now Approved | Subject to Judicial Review

Beyond the Veil| France completed its political strategy to ban the burqa, now passing the ban in both houses of government. The ban is scheduled to come into effect in six months and will be reviewed by France’s Constitutional Council before it takes effect.

There is significant concern that the ban isn’t compatible with France’s well-established commitment to religious freedoms. However, France has an existing ban on headscarves, yarmulkes and other visible religious symbols from being worn in public schools, in the name of separation of state and religion.

“Showing one’s face is a question of dignity and equality in our republic,” said Justice Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie during Tuesday’s debate in the Senate. via Wall Street Journal

Many other countries in Europe and also America are struggling over how to reconcile the values of modern Europe with more assertive expressions of Islamic faith. It seems not politically correct to raise this issue, but rejecting the notion that Muslims are terrorists — which they vast majority are not — there is a fundamental concern worldwide, that a Muslim citizen’s commitment to Islam is higher than commitment to country — whetherthe nation is France, Switzerland, Britain or America.

Similar charges have been made regarding Catholics and Jews over the centuries. Jews don’t have the population numbers, and Catholics are now so diverse in secular views, so as not to constitute a challenge to national governments.

AOC has written extensively about burqas, with input from Muslim women. See burqas and beyond.