Human rights court upholds French law banning full-face Islamic veil
- 10 years ago
The European Court of Human Rights upholds France's ban on wearing full-face Islamic veils in public.
Tuesday's ruling dismisses a case brought by a French woman against the state for breach of religious freedom.
By a vote of 15 to 2, the judges ruled that the ban doesn't violate the European Convention of Human Rights.
France was the first European country to ban full-face Islamic veils in public, saying at the time that the garment degraded women and was counter to the country's tradition of secularism.
The government also called the full-face veil a security threat, saying it prevents accurate identification of individuals.
France has the largest Muslim community in Europe, estimated at five million, but it also has some of the continent's most restrictive laws about expressions of faith in public.
Tuesday's ruling dismisses a case brought by a French woman against the state for breach of religious freedom.
By a vote of 15 to 2, the judges ruled that the ban doesn't violate the European Convention of Human Rights.
France was the first European country to ban full-face Islamic veils in public, saying at the time that the garment degraded women and was counter to the country's tradition of secularism.
The government also called the full-face veil a security threat, saying it prevents accurate identification of individuals.
France has the largest Muslim community in Europe, estimated at five million, but it also has some of the continent's most restrictive laws about expressions of faith in public.