France approves ban on full veil

French lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to ban the wearing of face-covering veils in public spaces, as Europe toughens its approach on integrating Muslim immigrant communities.

On the eve of Bastille Day, when France celebrates the birth of what was to become a staunchly secular republic, the 577-seat National Assembly lower house voted 335 to 1 for a total ban.

The bill will now go to the Senate in September, but opponents of the total ban say if it were ever overturned by the judges of the Constitutional Council, France's highest legal body, it would hand a victory to the fundamentalists.

While President Nicolas Sarkozy's determination to ban the niqab and the burqa won enough political support to carry it, the critics argue that it breaches French and European human rights legislation.

The bill defines public space very broadly, including not just government buildings and public transport, but all streets, markets and thoroughfares, private businesses and entertainment venues.

Similar laws are pending in Belgium, Spain and some Italian municipalities, but the ban is particularly sensitive in France, whose rundown city suburbs are home to Europe's biggest Muslim minority.

Last week, Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie told lawmakers debating the bill that its adoption would assert French values and help to better integrate Muslim communities into the national way of life.

"At a time where our societies are becoming more global and complex, the French people are pondering the future of their nation. Our responsibility is to show vigilance and reaffirm our commonly shared values," she said.

Critics say the law exploits a non-problem - only about 1,900 women among France's 5 million to 6 million Muslims wear a veil - in a bid to pander to anti-immigration voters and to distract attention from France's economic woes.

AFP