French President Nicolas Sarkozy recently ordered that a bill be submitted to parliament on the banning of Islamic face veils in all public places. This move came some time after the Belgian parliament decided to take up a similar bill, whose voting is to take place on April 22. The issue is much more controversial in France however, as they have a Muslim population of 5 million; the largest in western Europe. The issue may be problematic for the Sarkozy administration, as the French Constitution provides for freedom of religion.
The key difference between France and Belgium is the reason stated for proposing such a bill. Belgian parliamentarians claim the bill is needed because of the security threat of being unable to see a person's face, especially when burqas and veils have been used by militants and criminals before; a seemingly valid reason. On the other hand, the French President stated that the Islamic face veil stigmatizes and threatens the dignity of women. Well then, take a look at the women pictured below. What poses the greatest threat to their dignity? Would the forceful removal of their face veils not stigmatize them?
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