Thread: France denies citizenship to veiled Muslim woman

France denies citizenship to veiled Muslim woman
By ANGELA CHARLTON Associated Press Writer
Article Launched: 07/16/2008 12:37:22 PM MDT


PARIS—The case started quietly, when a Muslim woman who sheaths herself in a head-to-toe veil was denied French citizenship because she had not assimilated enough into this society. France's highest body upheld the decision, and politicians across the spectrum agreed it was the right move.
A few dissenting voices, though, are now questioning whether the decision pushed France's secularist values too far.

"Where does it begin or end? What we are calling radical behavior?" asked Mohammed Bechari, president of the National Federation of French Muslims. "Will we see a man refused citizenship because of the length of his beard ... or a man who is dressed as a rabbi, or a priest?"

On June 27, France's highest administrative body, the Council of State, ruled that the woman, identified only as Faiza X, had "adopted a radical practice of her religion incompatible with the essential values of the French community, notably with the principle of equality of the sexes, and therefore she does not fulfill the conditions of assimilation" listed in the country's Civil Code as a requirement for gaining French citizenship.

The council said the decision to refuse her citizenship did not aim to "attack (her) freedom of religion."

But critics accuse the French justice system of breeding fear and intolerance of Islam under the guise of upholding secularism. The country is home to western Europe's largest Muslim population, estimated to be at least 5 million of the
nation's 63 million people—and growing.
French officialdom has struggled to instill secular traditions in Muslim immigrant communities, passing a law in 2004 barring the Islamic headscarf and other highly visible religious symbols from public schools. Proponents of that law welcomed the decision denying citizenship to Faiza X, who wears a niqab, or full-body veil, to her meetings with immigration officials.

"The burqa, it's a prison, a straitjacket," France's minister for urban affairs, Fadela Amara, herself born to Algerian parents, was quoted as saying.

The terms burqa and niqab are often used interchangeably in France, though the former refers to a full-body covering worn largely in Afghanistan with only a mesh screen over the eyes. An official state document said the woman wore a full-body niqab, which left her eyes uncovered.

"It is not a religious sign but the visible sign of a totalitarian political project preaching inequality between the sexes, and which carries within it the total absence of democracy," Amara was quoted as saying in the daily Le Parisien.

Amara told the paper she hoped extremists would get a strong message from the Council of State's ruling, which upheld immigration officials' refusal to grant citizenship to Faiza X.

The council's ruling did not refer to Faiza's niqab, which she said she adopted after arriving in France from her native Morocco, according to a report from a government commissioner to the Council.

The woman told immigration officials that she did not know anything about secularism or her right to vote, according to the commissioner's report. All the immigration officials handling her case were women. They asked her to remove her veil to identify herself, which she did only when no men were in the room, the report said.

Later, in a letter to immigration officials, the woman defended her lifestyle by noting that other immigrants granted French citizenship also maintain "ties with their culture of origin."

The woman and her husband told immigration officials that they adhere to Salafism, a strict strain of Islam.

Her statements to immigration officials indicate that "she leads a life almost of a recluse, cut off from French society," leaving the house only to walk with her children or visit relatives, the report said.

"She lives in total submission to the men in her family ... and the idea of contesting this submission doesn't even occur to her," the government report said.

Politicians on talk shows this week spoke out in support of the ruling. But Muslim groups had mixed reactions.

Mohammed Moussaoui, head of the moderate French Council for Muslim Communities, issued a cautious statement that did not come out strongly for or against the ruling. He said only that his group "rejects all forms of extremism and stigmas that would keep the Muslim component of the nation's society from living its spirituality in peace."

But Fouad Alaoui, vice president of the Union of Islamic Organizations of France, said, "It's a turning point in our judiciary that should make us think.

"I don't think that clothing is part of this country's values. Clothing is personal freedom."

Then he added, "On a personal level, I too am disturbed when I see a woman hide her face."

———

Associated Press writer Samantha Bordes contributed to this report.



http://www.elpasotimes.com/nationworld/ci_9899330

"On a personal level, I too am disturbed when I see a woman hide her face."

So are most people in civilized society! Good for France!

I live in So Cal and was eating in a restraunt the other day when a family of 6 came into the restraunt to eat. It was a buffet style, Mediterranean restraunt, so I could get a good look without too much effort. The three women were wearing full-body niqab which were jet black. The only thing visible were their eyes.

I do not see too many women who dresses in the full body veil here in So Cal. But I got to tell you, something about it gave me the creeps. I cannot put a finger on it or identify it, but it was somewhat scary and definitely made me feel uneasy. I have never felt that way before around anyone and to this day, still cannot explain why I felt that way. The veil seems to convey an image of oppression and dominance over women that I found disturbing.

It may be their religion but it doesn't mean I have to accept it! Their religious freedoms should not interfere with my right to feel secure in a public place.

Originally Posted by NoBueno

I live in So Cal and was eating in a restraunt the other day when a family of 6 came into the restraunt to eat. It was a buffet style, Mediterranean restraunt, so I could get a good look without too much effort. The three women were wearing full-body niqab which were jet black. The only thing visible were their eyes.

I do not see too many women who dresses in the full body veil here in So Cal. But I got to tell you, something about it gave me the creeps. I cannot put a finger on it or identify it, but it was somewhat scary and definitely made me feel uneasy. I have never felt that way before around anyone and to this day, still cannot explain why I felt that way. The veil seems to convey an image of oppression and dominance over women that I found disturbing.

It may be their religion but it doesn't mean I have to accept it! Their religious freedoms should not interfere with my right to feel secure in a public place.

That is an everyday sight in Dearborn, Mi. And now has spread to the Muslim call to prayer being broadcast via speakers over the streets of a nearby city Hamtramck, Mi. It will continue to spread if it isn't stopped.

France dealt with Paris being set afire a couple of years ago with the rioting of Muslims who were protesting France's efforts to encourage assimilation. I think France is learning that it's liberal policies have threatened their very existence and they are fighting back to survive just as we are. We're seeing Nations all over the world beginning to fight against illegal immigration and to enforce assimilation. France and every nation has the right to protect their sovereignty and their Citizens.