European Rights Court to Rule on French Burqa Ban

ARAB NEWS: STRASBOURG, France: Europe’s top rights court rules on Tuesday whether France’s controversial burqa ban is “degrading” and a breach of religious freedom in a case brought by a woman described as a “perfect French citizen.”

The 24-year-old university graduate has requested anonymity because of concern over the reaction to her lawsuit in France, where the law banning full-face veils in public spaces was approved in 2010 under former president Nicolas Sarkozy and has been fully backed by the current Socialist government.

The woman, identified only by her initials S.A.S., and her British legal team are seeking to persuade the European Court of Human Rights to categorize the French law as essentially discriminatory.

The defendant — who also has family in Britain’s second city of Birmingham — argues that the ban violates her rights to freedom of religion, expression and assembly, and is also discriminatory.

She is a “perfect French citizen with university education,” her British lawyer Tony Muman told the European court at a hearing last year.
“She speaks of her country with passion... She is a patriot,” Muman had said. » | Yann Ollivier | AFP | Monday, June 30, 2014

Should the Burqa Be Banned? BBC Newsnight with Sam Harris (March 2012)

David Cameron Supports Muslim Veil Ban in Schools and Courts

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: David Cameron has promised to support institutions such as schools, courts and immigration centres which ask people to remove Muslim veils.

The Prime Minister said that he would issue new guidelines to judges, teachers and immigration officers telling them when they can ask people to remove clothing such as the niqab, which conceals the whole face.

He told the BBC that generally people should be allowed to wear what they want, but said that exceptions should be made so that public bodies and staff could function properly.

“We’re a free country and people should be free to wear whatever clothes they like in public or in private. But we should support the institutions that need to put in place rules so that those institutions can work property,” he said.

Mr Cameron was speaking to the BBC at the start of the Conservative Party conference in Manchester. » | James Kirkup, Political Editor | Sunday, September 29, 2013

Swiss Canton Approves Burqa Ban

Move Requires Constitutional Amendment, Could Prompt National Debate
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: ZURICH—The Swiss canton of Ticino overwhelmingly approved an initiative to outlaw the burqas worn by some Muslim women for religious reasons, a move that follows the lead of other European countries and could prompt a national debate in Switzerland on the issue.

Nearly two thirds of voters in Ticino cast ballots for the measure in a referendum initiated by a local activist, according to final results released by the Ticino government. The measure calls for banning clothes that "hide one's face in public," vague wording that would include burqas, niqabs and other veiled garments worn by some Muslim women on religious grounds.

The vote, part of Switzerland's tradition of direct democracy, opens a new chapter in Switzerland's brewing debate over how comfortable it is accommodating foreigners and their cultures, particularly those practicing Islam. The country has recently tightened rules governing both immigration and asylum seekers, many of whom come from [the] northern Africa, the Middle East and other traditionally Muslim parts of the world.

"It was a historic vote," Giorgio Ghiringhelli, the 61-year-old former journalist behind the initiative, told The Wall Street Journal. "It is time to say 'stop' to those people who don't want to integrate in our society." » | Marta Falconi and John Letzing | Sunday, September 22, 2013

Lien en relation avec l'article »

Burkas Cast a Veil over Us All – So Ban Them

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Cultural values that oppress and diminish women have no place in our society

Am I a racist? That’s what I was called on Twitter this week. It happens every time I express my loathing for the burka and the niqab, both hideous shrouds that hide a woman’s face from the world and prevent her – and, therefore, her children – from playing a full part in society.

My accuser on Twitter, one Imran Bhaloo, said it was offensive and racist of me to call a burka a shroud. “You have no right to evaluate culture,” he said. “A burka is not better or worse than a short dress, especially when you’re wearing it to impress someone. At that point, it ceases to be a choice. So how free are you?”

Actually, Mr Bhaloo, I do have a right to “evaluate culture”, as you call it. Mercifully, this is a country in which critical thinking is permitted: if we believe a practice stinks, then we say so. For example, if the Daughter comes downstairs wearing a skirt shorter than a text message, I culturally evaluate it and tell her to get changed pronto.

You ask me how free am I? Well, I’m a lot freer than those poor girls, as young as 11, who attend the Madani Girls’ School in east London. The school, it was revealed yesterday, requires all pupils to wear a burka, or a full-face veil and a long black coat, outside the premises. According to the school’s website, the uniform rule “conforms to the Islamic Code of dressing and must be adhered to at all times”.

How free is an 11-year-old who only sees her city through a letterbox slit, and who is obliged to dress in a way that intimidates people, prevents any connection being made, and ends up stoking even more racist feeling? How free are the children at the Ayesha Siddiqa Girls’ School in west London, which, like other private Islamic schools, requires pupils to wear a burka or jilbab (headscarf)? The Ayesha Siddiqa school had an emergency Ofsted inspection earlier this year that raised concerns about the 120 girls’ “welfare, health and safety”. » | Allison Pearson | Wednesday, September 18, 2013

My comment:

Finally, Brits are coming to the conclusion that the Islamic veil / burqah / niqab / hijab should be banned. It's taken a long time. Many of us have been saying this for years; but we were shouted down by the thought police (and the MSM) for being too intolerant and un-pc. Interestingly, Brits had a go at the French too, for being intolerant of diversity when they banned the burqah. But now, it seems, they have been proved right. They were, of course, right all along.

The burqah has no place in a progressive society. Ban it! – © Mark

This comment appears here too.

Burqa Bump: Violence Hits France as Government Fails to Draw a Line between Laws and Religion

France's secular laws have put a dent into the country's relations with its Islamic community. Recent riots and clashes with police over the ban on face covering burqas, have sparked a heated debate on whether uncontrolled mass immigration is the true cause of failing multi-culturalism.

France: Muslims Attack Police for Enforcing Burqa Ban

GATESTONE INSTITUTE: Muslims say they are upset over police who are enforcing the secular laws of France.

Police in the suburbs of Paris are working to restore order after hundreds of Muslims went on a rioting spree to protest the simple identity check of a Muslim woman who was wearing a full-face Islamic veil.

It is against the law to wear the face-covering niqab or the body-covering burqa in public spaces in France; violators are subject to fines of up to €150 ($200).

The latest round of violence erupted the evening of July 19 in Trappes, a gritty suburb situated 30 kilometers (20 miles) southwest of Paris. Trappes has 30,000 inhabitants, many of whom are Muslim immigrants.

Police say a crowd of possibly 400 Muslims gathered outside the Trappes police station in response to the arrest on July 18 of a man who had assaulted a police officer during an identity check on his wife, who was entirely veiled.

The niqab-wearing woman in question is 20-years-old; her 21-year-old husband, a convert to Islam, reportedly objected to the policeman interrogating his wife, and allegedly tried to strangle him, an act that lead to his arrest. Muslims insist the man was provoked.

After police in Trappes rejected Muslim demands to release the husband, the mob went on a rampage, throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at police, pelting police with firecrackers from rooftops, burning cars and trucks and destroying public property, including several bus stops, before being repelled by riot police.

A nine-minute video on YouTube shows police helicopters buzzing overhead amid burning cars and trash bins, as well as a building that was torched. Photos of the unrest can be viewed here and here.

Although no one died in the disturbances, five people were injured, including four police officers and a 14-year-old boy, who lost his eyesight from a projectile. » | Soeren Kern | Thursday, July 25, 2013

Burka-Kontrolle bringt Menschenmenge in Rage

In Frankreich ist das Tragen von Burkas in der Öffentlichkeit verboten – wer es trotzdem tut, bekommt eine Busse aufgebrummt. Nun löste die Polizeikontrolle einer verschleierten Frau in der Stadt Trappes Krawalle aus. Ein Jugendlicher wurde dabei schwer verletzt.

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Second night of riots in Paris over 'burka ban' fine: Muslim protesters have clashed with riot police in a Paris suburb after attempts were made to fine a woman for wearing a full Islamic veil. » | Peter Allen, Paris | Sunday, July 21, 2013

Islamic Veil Arrest Sparks Violence in Paris Suburb »

Islamic Veil Arrest Sparks Violence in Paris Suburb

FRANCE 24: Around 200 protesters clashed with police in the Paris suburb of Trappes on Friday night following the arrest of a man who allegedly assaulted a police officer after his wife was stopped for wearing an Islamic veil in public.

A night of violence erupted in the Paris suburb of Trappes on Friday, apparently sparked by a row over France’s controversial ban on face coverings.

Reports suggest upwards of 200 people clashed with security forces outside the town’s police station from around 9pm on Friday night, with the violence continuing into the early hours of Saturday morning.

Demonstrators were seen throwing projectiles at police, while a number of bins were set on fire. Several pictures and videos purporting to show the violence have been posted on social media sites such as YouTube and Twitter.

Around a dozen vans carrying riot police were deployed to the area, while a helicopter was dispatched to carry out surveillance of the town, located around 27km west of the centre of Paris.

Order was restored at around 3am when the crowd began to disperse, a police source told Reuters. » | France 24 | Saturday, July 20, 2013

From Open Values to Burqa Bans: Have Europeans Lost the Habit of Tolerance (2011)
Speakers: Nazneen Khan-Østrem; Brendan O'Neill; Hans Rustad; Merryl Wyn Davies | Chair: Martyn Perks

WALES ONLINE: Muslim convert Merryl Wyn Davies calls for better understanding on 9/11 anniversary: On the 10th anniversary of 9/11 Merryl Wyn Davies, Muslim convert and author of Why Do People Hate America?, tells Abbie Wightwick that we haven’t learned enough from the massacre ¶ On the 10th anniversary of 9/11 Merryl Wyn Davies, Muslim convert and author of Why Do People Hate America?, tells Abbie Wightwick that we haven’t learned enough from the massacre ¶ AS a Muslim convert for 30 years Merryl Wyn Davies is sick of having conversations about headscarves. » | Friday, September 09, 2013

WIKI: Merryl Wyn Davies »

WIKI: Nazneen Khan-Østrem »

WIKI: Hans Rustad »

WIKI: Brendan O'Neill »

France's Burkha Ban Sparks Violence across Paris after Police Try to Arrest Woman for Wearing a Veil and Pregnant Woman Is Attacked for Covering Her Face
MAIL ONLINE: Two men put pregnant woman, 21, in hospital - undergoing treatment / Around 60 people attacked police in Argenteuil, north west of the capital / Women guilty of wearing niqabs can be fined the equivalent of around £130

Violent clashes have broken out in a Paris suburb after police tried to arrest a Muslim woman for wearing a veil.

It came as two men today put a 21-year-old pregnant woman in hospital for covering her face with a veil on the same council estate.

In what is being viewed as a severe test of France's burka ban, around 60 people attacked police on Wednesday night in Argenteuil, a commuter town to the north west of the capital.

Under a law which came into force in 2011, women found guilty of wearing niqabs in public can be fined the equivalent of around £130.

But when officers approached the unnamed woman, passers-by became involved in a 'riot' and police used tear gas and flash-ball shots to disperse them, according to a police source.

'The police were attacked' the source told Le Parisien newspaper. 'They were insulted and beaten, including punches'. Two men aged 23 and 37, including a cousin of the young veil-wearer, were arrested and placed in custody under suspicion of violence and public order offences.

In the end, 40 riot police had to be called to the area to restore order, said the source. » | Nabila Ramdani | Thursday, June 13, 2013

Spain: Supreme Court Overturns Burqa Ban
GATESTONE INSTITUTE: The ruling denotes a step forward in the continuing efforts to establish Islam as a mainstream religious and political system in Spain.

The Spanish Supreme Court has ruled that a municipal ordinance banning the wearing of Islamic burqas in public spaces is unconstitutional.

In its 56-page ruling, made public on February 28, the Madrid-based Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo) said the Catalan city of Lérida exceeded its authority when, in December 2010, it imposed a burqa ban.

The court said the ban on burqas, a traditional Islamic costume that covers women from head to toe, "constitutes a limitation to the fundamental right to the exercise of the freedom of religion, which is guaranteed by the Spanish Constitution." The court said that the limitation of a fundamental right can only be achieved through laws at the national level, not through local ordinances.

The decision, which the court said addressed a "profoundly political problem," represents a significant victory for Muslims in Spain. Although it is unclear how many women actually wear the burqa there, the ruling denotes a step forward in the continuing efforts to establish Islam as a mainstream religious and political system in Spain.

In recent years, more than a dozen municipalities in Spain have enacted burqa bans and other legal measures to push back against the ongoing Islamization of Spanish society. The rise of Islam has been especially notable in the Spanish autonomous region of Catalonia, home to the largest concentration of radical Islamists in Europe, and which has emerged as ground-zero for Salafi-Jihadism on the continent. » | Soeren Kern | Monday, March 04, 2013

The Burqa Battle – France
As Sarkozy's Burqa ban becomes a reality, the debate continues: is the Muslim cover-all a threat to Western society, or is banning the Burqa xenophobic and robbing women of their religious identity?

Following the debate across France in the run-up to the ban, this report offers an insight into both sides of the case. In mosques tempers flare:"You are allowed to dress how you want, but I don't have that right. Is this freedom?". Yet Sarkozy supporters are adamant that the veil represents an affront to French values and that the president even has the support of an Imam of a Mosque in Paris, who says that the ban "gives a positive image of Islam".

A Film By ABC Australia
Distributed By Journeyman Pictures
May 2010

Canada: Muslim Canadian Congress Hoping to Expand Canadian Burka Ban

Dutch to Ban Muslim Face Veils Next Year
AL JAZEERA ENGLISH: Minority government set to prohibit niqabs and burqas and other forms of clothing that cover the face.

The Dutch minority government plans to ban Muslim face veils such as burqas and other forms of clothing that cover the face from next year.

The ban would make the Netherlands, where 1 million out of 17 million people are Muslim, the second EU country to ban the burqa after France, and would apply to face-covering veils if they were worn in public.

"People should be able to look at each other's faces and recognise each other when they meet," the interior affairs ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The ban will also apply to balaclavas and motorcycle helmets when worn in in[f]appropriate places, such as inside a store, Deputy Prime Minister Maxime Verhagen told reporters, denying that this was a ban on religious clothing. » | Friday, January 27, 2012

'Against Policy' to Ban Burqa
THE AUSTRALIAN: THE burqa may be confronting but to ban it would fly in the face of religious freedom, a top public servant has told university students.

"Banning the burqa or any other form of religious dress in Australia would be inconsistent with our principles and traditions of religious freedom and tolerance,'' said Andrew Metcalfe, secretary of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

Mr Metcalfe acknowledged that "some Australians find the burqa confronting''.

He was speaking last month at the University of Western Australia on "Australian government approaches to Islam''.Asked whether Mr Metcalfe was speaking personally or expressing a government position, a spokesperson for DIAC said his remarks were "consistent with the government's multicultural policy''.

That policy "allows those who choose to call Australia home the right to practise and share in their cultural traditions and languages within the law and free from discrimination''. » | BERNARD LANE | The Australian | Saturday, November 05, 2011

Burka Ban: French Women Fined for Wearing Full-face Veil
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Two French women who continue to wear the full-face veil in defiance of a new law banning it in France this morning became the first to receive fines since its enactment.

Hind Ahmas and Najate Nait Ali were caught wearing the niqab in public outside Meaux town hall, eastern Paris, in May.

The women immediately vowed to appeal their case all the way to the European Court of Human Rights if the fines are confirmed by a higher court.

Miss Ahmas, 32, was ordered to pay a 120-euro (£104) fine, while Miss Nait Ali, 36, was fined 80 euros (£70). The court chose not to order them to take a citizenship course, as had been requested by the prosecutor.

The two women arrived too late to attend the ruling. One had been refused entry into court in May because she would not take off her niqab to show her face.

"This law forbids women in niqab from leaving their homes and going out in public. It's a kind of life-sentence to prison," he said Yann Gre from the Don't Touch My Constitution association defending the two women.

The women were arrested when they brought a birthday cake for mayor and MP Jean-Francois Copé, who pushed Europe's first anti-burqa law through parliament. Mr Copé is head of President Nicolas Sarkozy's right-wing UMP party. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Thursday, September 22, 2011

Challenge to Burqa Ban as First Women Prosecuted in Belgium
THE GUARDIAN: Businessman who paid women's fines to launch legal challenge against France and Belgium for 'violating individual liberties'

A businessman has said he will take France and Belgium to court after paying the fines of the first two women in Belgium prosecuted for wearing full-face veils in public.

French property dealer Rachid Nekkaz set up a €1m (£870,000) fund to cover fines given to women wearing niqabs and burqas, after the veils were banned in the two countries. The two women had been fined €50 for wearing the niqab in Brussels. » | Reuters in Brussels | Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Belgian Face-Veil Ban Goes Into Effect

RADIO FREE EUROPE: On July 23, Belgium became the second European country after France to ban the wearing of veils covering the face in public.

The Belgian parliament passed the law by a vote of 149-1 in April 2010. But due to the fall of the government shortly thereafter and an inconclusive election that left the country with a caretaker government, its implementation was delayed until now.

The law does not explicitly mention niqabs or burqas. But it prohibits the covering of one's face in public for security reasons -- effectively banning the two Islamic garments. Violators will face fines of 137.50 euros ($197.50) and up to seven days in jail.

Support for the legislation crossed the ideological spectrum, with supporters calling it an effort to promote gender equality. » | Rikard Jozwiak | Saturday, July 23, 2011

Two Views on France’s Burqa Ban

CNN: France's Islamic veil ban spurs passionate reaction worldwide » | Michael Saba, CNN | Monday, April 25, 2011