BBC: France could become the first country in Europe to ban the burka. A draft law submitted to the French parliament would make it illegal for a woman to cover her face in public spaces such as hospitals and trains. But the proposal has divided the country's five million-strong Muslim community.
26 year-old Anisa wears a bright blue niqab, a piece of clothing that covers her completely except for her eyes and perfectly arched eyebrows.
You can't miss her among the crowds: maybe it is because of the colour of the niqab or because there is no other woman around who is covered up to this extent.
She has been wearing it for a year-and-a-half. Anisa's family, who are originally from Morocco, are against her wearing the niqab. But Anisa believes it is her religious duty.
According to official figures there are just 1900 women who wear the burka in France. Most of them are young and a quarter are converts.
But a report from the French intelligence services put this figure much lower at 367, out of an estimated population of five million Muslims, the largest in Europe.
When I met Anisa in the suburbs of Seine-Saint Denis, an area with the highest concentration of Muslims in France, she says that ever since she started wearing the niqab she has had unwelcome attention from the police, has been insulted in the street and is frequently stared at.
Women wearing the burka - a veil which covers the whole face - or the niqab in France are not as visible as those in Britain. But look hard enough in the suburbs and you can find them.
The mosque in the town of Drancy, on the outskirts of Paris, is currently the most controversial in France because the imam here has come out in support of the government's decision to ban the burka.
Imam Hassan Chalghoumi is now facing death threats and has been given police protection. Ignoring the advice of his advisors he spoke to the Today programme. >>> Zubeida Malik , Today Programme | Monday, March 15, 2010
