Muslim women fined in France over veil

Thu Sep 22, 2011

French police court has fined two Muslim women for wearing the full-face covering Islamic veil for the first time, in a case that could have legal implications across Europe.

The court in the town of Meaux, about 40 kilometers east of Paris, fined Hind Ahmas, 32, and another woman for appearing outside the local town hall in niqab, AFP reported.

“We've been sentenced under a law that violates European law. For us, it's not about the size of the fine, but the principle. We can't allow women to be convicted for freely following their religious beliefs," AFP quoted Ahmas as saying.

The pair vowed to appeal their case all the way to the European Court of Human Rights.

Many Muslims and rights activists say the right-wing French president; Nikolas Sarkozy is targeting Muslims to gain the votes of anti-immigration supporters.

Paris has declared that any woman -- French or foreigner -- who wears a niqab or burqa in public will be fined EUR 150. People who force women to wear such covers will face a much larger fine and a prison sentence of up to two years.

However, France -- home to five million Muslims -- is believed to have fewer than 2,000 women wearing a full face veil.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.com/detail/200596.html.