French ban on face veils passed in lower parliament

FRANCE’S lower house of parliament overhwelmingly approved a ban on burqa-like Islamic veils yesterday, a move that is popular among French voters despite serious concerns from Muslim groups and human rights advocates.

There were 336 votes for the bill and just one against it at the National Assembly. Most members of the main opposition group, the Socialist Party, refused to participate in the vote — though they support a ban, they have differences with President Nicolas Sarkozy’s conservatives over some aspects of it.

The ban on face-covering veils will go in September to the Senate, where it also is likely to pass. Its biggest hurdle will likely come after that, when France’s constitutional watchdog scrutinises it. Some legal scholars say there is a chance it could be deemed unconstitutional.