Hundreds protest France burqa ban in Karachi

Hundreds of Muslims staged a protest in Karachi against a ban approved by France's lower house of parliament on wearing burqa-style Islamic veils.

burqa_ban_protest_L_100719_aap_817859086


The bill passed on Tuesday bans face-covering veils everywhere that can be considered public space and is seen as part of a determined effort to define and protect French values.

It has disconcerted many in the country which has Europe's largest Muslim population, about 5 (m) million of the country's 64 (m) million people are believed
to be Muslim.

Speaking at the rally on Sunday, Mohammad Hussain Mehnati, Chief of religious Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party in Karachi, demanded that the United Nations take immediate and appropriate action on France.

"Before passing a bill in the parliament, the government of France has to realise that Muslims are living all over the world including France and other EU countries and they don't have to make a law against Muslims," he said.

"The veil is a part of our religion and the UN charter also permits the religious freedom and no government is allowed to create a problem for any religious group because they practise their own religion," he added.

Protesters at the rally held a banner reading, "Down with the West, We Condemn ban on Hijab", even though the law would cover the niqab, a robe which covers the whole body and face, leaving just the eyes exposed, and the burqa, which is similar but in which a mesh covers the eyes too.

It is not targeting the hijab, the headscarf worn by many Muslim women which covers the hair, leaving the face exposed.

While ordinary headscarves are common in France, only about 1,900 women are believed to wear face-covering veils.

Proponents of the law say face-covering veils don't square with the French ideal of women's equality or its secular tradition.

The bill is controversial abroad but popular in France, where its relatively few outspoken critics say conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy has resorted to xenophobia to attract far-right voters.

The ban on burqas and niqabs will go in September to the Senate, where it also is likely to pass.

The issue has been debated across Europe, and Spain and Belgium have similar bans in the works.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world