Banning the ‘Burqa’: France’s Quest to maintain its Secular Identity

The article “Banning the ‘Burqa’: France’s Quest to maintain its Secular Identity” deals with the ban of the full veil. According to the article, a parliamentary committee has recommended full veils in France. This happened a few months after President Sarkozy declared the burqa and niqab unwelcome in France.
However, the article also states that there is opposition to this ban. Critics have warned that it would alienate France’s Muslims.
Other European countries, for example the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium, have considered similar bans.

The German press is divided on its reception of the French proposal. However, according to the article, Peter Heine, professor emeritus for Islamic studies at Berlin’s Humboldt University, believes that this kind of ban would not be imminent there. Heine argues that banning the veil would bring greater social division.