France Enforces Ban on Full-Face Veils in Public
By ALAN COWELL
NYT
PARIS — A French ban outlawing full-face veils in public, the first to be enacted in Europe, came into force on Monday and faced immediate, if low-key, challenges.
The police detained two fully veiled women at a small protest outside the Notre Dame cathedral in central Paris, where demonstrators were easily outnumbered by police officers and journalists. But it was not clear whether the women had been held under laws forbidding unauthorized demonstrations.
The new law, approved last year, has been controversial from the start, raising questions about France’s relationship with its Muslim minority of five to six million — Western Europe’s largest — at a time when right-wing and anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise.
Just days ago France’s governing party pressed ahead with a contentious public debate on the nature of its secularist philosophy and the challenges of Islam. The discussion drew criticism across a broad front including government officials, religious leaders, the Socialist opposition and the far-right National Front.
(More here.)
NYT
PARIS — A French ban outlawing full-face veils in public, the first to be enacted in Europe, came into force on Monday and faced immediate, if low-key, challenges.
The police detained two fully veiled women at a small protest outside the Notre Dame cathedral in central Paris, where demonstrators were easily outnumbered by police officers and journalists. But it was not clear whether the women had been held under laws forbidding unauthorized demonstrations.
The new law, approved last year, has been controversial from the start, raising questions about France’s relationship with its Muslim minority of five to six million — Western Europe’s largest — at a time when right-wing and anti-immigrant sentiment is on the rise.
Just days ago France’s governing party pressed ahead with a contentious public debate on the nature of its secularist philosophy and the challenges of Islam. The discussion drew criticism across a broad front including government officials, religious leaders, the Socialist opposition and the far-right National Front.
(More here.)
Powered by Blogger
1 Comments:
I understand that the Muslims have very strong cultural background and they don’t like anyone to interfere in it. However, the French are famous for their national pride, too. I think there should be a bit of acceptance on both sides
Post a Comment
<< Home