PARIS, France – Legislation offered in the French parliament on Thursday that would result in a complete ban on individuals wearing veils over their faces in public.

The legislation’s sponsor is Jean-Francois Cope, the President of the center-right Union for a Popular Movement party (UMP) in the National Assembly.  President Nicolas Sarkozy is a member of the UPM.  Cope has argued that the ban is necessary on the grounds of public safety and to protect the ‘dignity’ of women.  “Permanently masking one’s face in public spaces is not an expression of individual liberty.  It’s a negation of oneself, a negation of others, a negation of social life.”  Under this legislation, those women failing to abide by its provisions would face fines of up to 7,000 euros.  Men who force women to wear a veil would face even higher fines.

This is not the first time that the issue of hear of veils and headscarves have become issues of public debate in France.  In 2004 Islamic headscarves and other certain religious symbols from school classrooms.  In the summer of 2009 a committee was established in the French parliament to hold hearings on a potential future ban on the wearing of veils in public.  President Sarkozy also commented last June that the presence of veils in France were a “sign of subservience and debasement that imprison women” in and were “not welcome”.  The President has not indicated, however, whether he supports Capo’s legislation.

Criticism to the proposed legislation has come from other French politicians.  The French Labor Minister Laurent Wauquiez commented that Cope was using this issue as a means of self-promotion.  The center-left Socialist Party opposes the ban.  National politicians have also indicated that the proposed legislation could be struck down by EU Courts, to which France is subject to.

Cope also introduced a resolution on Tuesday meant to reaffirm the nation’s values against “radical practices which harm them.”

Approximately 5 million Muslims currently live in France.  However, a recent news report noted that only approximately 400 women wear a veil, which is not required by Islam, in the country.

For more information, please see:

AP – France may ban Muslim veils – 12 January 2010

DAILY NEWS – No veiled threat – France mulls fines for wearing a burka in public – 8 January 2010

UK EXPRESS – France In Bid To Fine Those Who Wear Veils – 8 January 2010

AFP – French draft bill to fine burqa-wearing women – 7 January 2010