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Full veil not welcome in France, says SarkozyComments

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Lizzy Davies Paris
The Guardian, Thursday 14 January 2010
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Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, is backing moves to ban the full Islamic veil in France.



Nicolas Sarkozy last night threw his weight behind moves to ban the full Islamic veil in France, calling for an "unambiguous" parliamentary resolution against an item of clothing he said was "not welcome" in a country which valued sexual equality.

The president, who had shied away from speaking on the issue recently, used his new year's speech to express his desire for a move against face-covering veils.

But, perhaps to dampen down accusations of stoking anti-Muslim feeling, Sarkozy said any law should avoid stigmatising any sections of society.

In a rebuke to figures in his rightwing UMP party who are pushing for a total ban on the burka or niqab in public in the near future, he said lawmakers should wait for the results of a six-month parliamentary inquiry before acting further.

Once the panel's recommendations were known, Sarkozy said, parliament should pass a non-binding but "unambiguous" resolution making clear the full veil's incompatibility with French values.

Sarkozy did not go into detail about what kind of legislation might eventually be passed, insisting that parliament give full attention to it. The committee he set up last summer to investigate the issue, headed by communist MP André Gerin, is expected to advocate a more moderate ban on the full veil, possibly in certain realms of the state such as post offices and town halls. It will publish its results later this month, weeks before France's regional elections.

"As president I believe it would be wise to wait for its consultations and reflections to come to fruition before deciding definitively," said Sarkozy.

The parliamentary head of his party, Jean-François Copé, has tried to grab the limelight with a controversial bill that would fine anyone found covering their face in public €750 (£670).

Last night Sarkozy, who has been accused of unleashing a storm of hostile sentiment towards France's six million Muslims through a "great debate" on national identity, endeavoured to reassure his critics that his dislike of the burka was motivated by love of his nation's principles rather than racism.

"The full veil is not welcome in France because it runs contrary to our values and contrary to the idea we have of a woman's dignity," he said, while cautioning against an extreme move that would further alienate a section of society.

"Let us undertake not to give opponents of democracy, dignity and sexual equality the chance for a victory which would put our society in a very difficult situation," he said, adding it was "essential that no one felt stigmatised".

It is thought that only about 2,000 women in France wear the full veil. Although making clear its opposition to the burka itself, the Socialist party came out last week against a ban, saying it would be counter-productive and opportunistic.