first woman to be jailed for wearing banned Islamic veil

Muslim women shoulder just wear the surgeons mask, like the Japanese sometimes wear in public to protect other people from catching their diseases.

he said the ban was aimed at stopping criminals – from terrorists to shoplifters – disguising their faces from security staff a

Yeah because criminals are gonna abide by the law

What the ****, France?

So they have topless beaches, but you can't wear a head veil? That doesn't sound at all fair.

Or wear those V for Vandetta masks, and they'll think you are part of Anonymous.

Since I may be the only one here who sees both sides of this issue (though I side with the women's right to wear the veil), I'll lay out some of the reasons non-muslims, and especially the French would be in favour of such a ban.

1. Xenophobia. People fear what is different and like to go against outgroups. This is basic tribalism and it is very much at work here. It is inexcusable if used to try to ban anything.

2. Cultural Misunderstanding. A lot of people in the west see a woman wearing a veil and immediately leap to the conclusion that she is being forced to do so. Why? Because they would not do so voluntarily. They don't realize that many women who wear such veils do it because they want to, and that they even find it empowering. From a western perspective what is seen is a woman from a male dominated society making herself invisible because men don't want to be tempted by her. If it is the men who can't control themselves then why is it the women who have to fix that? Why don't the men just learn to control themselves or wear blinders like on horses if they are so concerned about seeng her face? That is the kind of thinking you will get. Whether it is misplaced is debatable. I don't think it a valid reason to ban the veil, but other westerners disagree.

Now for the rest of this post put the above factor aside (which is big) and try to imagine them wearing a mask other than this one, say a ski mask, sugeon's mask, fencing mask, motorcycle helmet with dark visor etc, and you can see that there ar some valid concerns that go beyond mere bigotry, xenophobia, or culture.

3. Security concern. This is the one concern that resonates the most with me. Most of us in the west are ok with somebody dressed like the above photo if she's just walking down the street. Especially those of us in colder climates. We cover ourselves like that all the time. But I think most of us, and probably many of you, would be far less comfortable if they walked into a store, or especially a bank, and didn't remove the mask. People who hide their faces, who hide their identity, start to look suspicious. Ocassionally you get stories about muslim women who don't want to take it off for voting or for driver license etc and that goes beyond any secular (and I would argue any rational) justification.

4. Interpersonal Distance. There are hundreds (perhaps thousands) of non-verbal social signals and expressions done with the face when you speak with people. The eyes alone should help a little, but really... it seems to me that a lot would be lacking. And when I speak to people I look at their face and it just wouldn't feel comfortable not having a face to speak to. This would be even more important to the French, as they have a very expressive and touchy feely sort of culture (where even men kiss each other on the cheek to say hello). That is on a personal level though and you could simply say we don't have to become their close friends, and being their friends or not has nothing to do with banning them from wearing the veil.

5. Social Distance. The fact that a woman is wearing a head veil tells me she doens't want me looking at her face. It immediately makes me wonder what other social taboos she carries around with her. Can I look at her eyes? Can I shake her hand? Can I speak to her if her husband isn't with her? A lot of these questions I've found answers to since coming to forums like this one but your average non-muslim won't know and may feel very unconfortble even looking in her direction for fear of some unintentional offending to her. That doesn't seem to be any reason to ban the veil though either.

So, personally I fully support your right to wear whatever you want, but others will disagree. And before you see me as totally in your camp, keep in mind that I also fully support the rights of nudists I'm for freedom of a woman to choose how she dresses (or not) and frankly don't see it as any of my business or concern.

It's not fair but what do they expect from them?

I like what The Italian minister said: The reason behind the opposition to the headscarf ban, clear and simple that the Virgin Mary the mother of Prophet Jesus peace be upon him used to put the veil on her head, too, the holiest woman in history, the woman USANascent mentioned by name in the Quran
He added: "If the Virgin wears one, ask me how any woman who refused to wear hijab."

"If the Virgin wears one, ask me how any woman who refused to wear hijab" isn't coherent. Typo?