French Protest Wearing of Full Islamic Veil
You may be denied French citizenship if you wear a full Islamic veil or if your practice of radical Islam is deemed incompatible with French values.
Recently the French government refused to grant citizenship to a foreign national on the grounds that he forced his wife to wear the full Islamic veil.
According to the BBC, Immigration Minister Eric Besson said this was being refused because he was depriving his wife of the liberty to come and go with her face uncovered.
“It became apparent during the regulation investigation and the prior interview that this person was compelling his wife to wear the all-covering veil, depriving her of the freedom to come and go with her face uncovered, and rejected the principles of secularism and equality between men and women,” he said.
The BBC added that in 2008, a French court denied citizenship to a Moroccan woman on the grounds that her “radical” practice of Islam was incompatible with French values.
Last week, a French parliamentary committee proposed a partial ban on full veils and recommended that anyone showing visible signs of “radical religious practice” be refused residence permits and citizenship.
