France to fine women for wearing face-covering veils in public

PanARMENIAN.Net - From April 11, it is illegal for Muslim women in France to cover their faces with veils in public. It's the first European country to pass the law but there's been criticism that it's pointless because only a minority of women wear them.

Any woman caught wearing the burka or niqab faces a fine and will be asked to take citizenship lessons. She can also be subject to an investigation. If police find her husband is forcing her to cover up, he could face a fine of 25,000 euros (Ј22,000) and a possible jail sentence.

In the 18th district of Paris hosts is a strong Muslim community made up of people of Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian descent.

France is home to western Europe's largest Muslim population of six million. Out of that, the number that wear the burka or niqab differs, depending on who you ask. Ahmed who runs a small business near one of the district's mosques says he rarely sees women covered up and that was before this ban. "I'd say probably 0.01% of Muslim women wear the niqab," he admitted.

The French government thinks that figure is much higher. Ministers put it at around 2,000 women, BBC reported.