European Rights Court Upholds France’s Ban on Full-Face Veils.
The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday upheld a ban imposed by France on the wearing of full-face veils in public, rejecting arguments that the measure violated religious freedoms and bolstering opponents of strict Islamic dress in other parts of Europe.
The ban, which went into effect three years ago in France, has always been contentious since it set the authorities on a collision course with Muslims who said the full-face veil was an obligation of their faith.
The ban, imposed by the former conservative government of Nicolas Sarkozy, was also depicted by its critics as exploiting anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiments in a country with a Muslim minority estimated at up to six million — Europe’s largest.
At the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, judges said the ban was a legitimate attempt to preserve the norms of France’s diverse society and did not infringe on Europe’s Convention on Human Rights. The court was ruling on a case brought by an unidentified Frenchwoman who said the law, first passed in 2010 and implemented in 2011, was discriminatory and violated her freedom of conscience.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/02/world/europe/european-rights-court-upholds-frances-ban-on-full-face-veils.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpHeadline&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=0
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