Image by Darrel J. Rohl

Secular Republic of France has today officially banned woman wearing burqa or veil in public or anything which can conceal the face.

This new law is not only applicable to the women in France but also foreign tourists, students, or visitors.

Last September, the French Senate approved a bill for banning wearing of veil or burqa in public. The bill was neither overturned in French courts nor in European Union courts in the past 6 months, thus making the bill to come into effect as a law today, April 11, 2011.

In a related news reported by The Star, 61 people, including 19 women were arrested by the Police in Paris who were trying to protest against France's decision on banning face covering Islamic veils.

Such an act has brought lots of reaction in and around France, some said that this was the move by Sarkozy to lift his depleting popularity in the country and gain votes as mere 2000 women reportedly wear veils in France, While, other says that such a move is against France's claim of being a secular republic.

Women rights groups around the world has welcomed this law saying it gives more freedom to woman, wearing veil makes a woman feel inferior.

If government of France finds a woman wearing veil then she will be subjected to pay a fine of 150 Euros, if the government finds that she was forced to wear veil by someone then the person who forced her will be subjected to a fine of 30,000 Euros.

Worldwide Reaction of Public on France Banning Woman from wearing Veil

I hope they ban beards, too. I'm terrified of guys with beards - what are they planning under there

This bill does not go far enough. Concealment is more difficult without clothing. We can have a safe and tanned society. If you've got nothing to hide, you should have no trouble.

I hate racist laws. I also hate the way fundamentalist Islam treats women. So I never know what to think about this issue.

A country which allows smoking in public but not wearing burqa, I don't like the logic

It is good for the security, you never know who is behind the veil. And that is the main reason why France has banned it.

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