Sarkozy says Burqas 'not welcome'
Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, has said that the burqa, a garment worn by many Muslim women, has no place in France as it was a sign of the subjugation of women. The burqa is a garment that covers women from head to toe and hides their faces. During a speech to a joint session of both houses of parliament on Monday, held at the Palace of Versailles in Paris, Sarkozy backed an initiative launched by legislators last week who expressed concern over an increase in the use of burqas in France.
"The issue of the burqa is not a religious issue, it is a question of freedom and of women's dignity," he said. "The burqa is not a religious sign, it is a sign of the subjugation, of the submission of women. I want to say solemnly that it will not be welcome on our territory." The debate about the burqa is reminiscent of a controversy that raged for a decade in France about Muslim girls wearing headscarves in class.
Eventually, a law was passed in 2004 banning pupils from wearing conspicuous signs of their religion at state schools. Critics say the law stigmatised Muslims at a time when France should have been fighting discrimination in the job and housing markets. Sarkozy's comments, which were part of a major policy address, came in the first speech in 136 years to a joint session of France's parliament. It follows a constitutional amendment narrowly passed last year to make such a speech to both houses possible.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2...
"The issue of the burqa is not a religious issue, it is a question of freedom and of women's dignity," he said. "The burqa is not a religious sign, it is a sign of the subjugation, of the submission of women. I want to say solemnly that it will not be welcome on our territory." The debate about the burqa is reminiscent of a controversy that raged for a decade in France about Muslim girls wearing headscarves in class.
Eventually, a law was passed in 2004 banning pupils from wearing conspicuous signs of their religion at state schools. Critics say the law stigmatised Muslims at a time when France should have been fighting discrimination in the job and housing markets. Sarkozy's comments, which were part of a major policy address, came in the first speech in 136 years to a joint session of France's parliament. It follows a constitutional amendment narrowly passed last year to make such a speech to both houses possible.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2...
