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Liberté, égalité, fraternité —Freedom, Equality, and Brotherhood—are the three ideals historically espoused by the French government. But on Tuesday, French Republican legislators voted to submit a 644-page report to Parliament promoting a resolution in favor of a “burqa ban.” The report asserts that nearly 2000 French Muslim women, a quarter of whom are converts, who wear a full-body, face-cloaking veil called the burqa, are acting “contrary to the values of the Republic.” If resolved and passed, a law banning burqas could result in fines for women wearing the burqa in public places. The burqa ban, first proposed in 2008, was originally a complete ban on burqas, but that level of prohibition is the source of some Constitutional qualms. Tuesday’s report—whose passage was assured by the boycott of 11 members of the Socialist opposition party—endorses a ban on burqas only in public places such as municipal offices, public hospitals, and public transportation. The possible burqa ban comes on the heels of a 2004 ban on religious headgear in public schools. Many in France view the ban’s proposal, as a political tool of a secular government fearing religious fundamentalism. The French Parliament remains disunited on the issue.

GUEST: Fatou Sow, Professor, a sociologist from Senegal, West Africa, Board Member and International Coordinator of Women Living Under Muslim Laws

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