burka

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Dutch Close to Burka Ban in Right-Wing Party Deal

Immigration would also be cut in half in coalition government pact

(Newser) - The usually über-tolerant Dutch will likely soon make the Netherlands the latest European nation to ban the burka. The ban—as well as a deal to cut immigration in half—is part of a pact to form a new minority coalition government that will include the right-wing Party for...

French Senate Bans Islamic Veils in Public

Measure still faces review by nation's constitutional judges

(Newser) - The French Senate voted near-unanimously to ban wearing burka-style Islamic veils in public today, the BBC reports. The measure must still past muster with the country's Constitutional Council, but unless those judges raise objections, it will become law in 6 months. The Senate confirmed the measure by a vote of...

Man In Burqa Robs Bank
Man in Burka Robs Bank
in Maryland
Aug 13, 2010 4:17 AM CDT

Man in Burka Robs Bank in Maryland

Witnesses say he spoke with Middle Eastern accent

(Newser) - A man wearing "a long black burka over his face" robbed a TD Bank branch in Maryland. He demanded money while brandishing a gun and then fled with an unknown amount. The robber, who employees believe was male because of his voice and build, spoke with "a Middle...

Spain Latest to Mull Burka Ban
 Spain Latest to Mull Burka Ban 
Jul 19, 2010 10:29 AM CDT

Spain Latest to Mull Burka Ban

Garment called 'hardly compatible with human dignity'

(Newser) - Spanish lawmakers will debate barring burkas in public, joining other European countries considering similar moves on the grounds that the body-covering garments are degrading to women. Top officials of the ruling Socialist Party have indicated they will support the proposal by the opposition Popular Party, making a ban likely unless...

'Give Me the Freedom to Cover My Face'
 'Give Me the Freedom 
 to Cover My Face' 
LONDONER PLEADS:
Jul 19, 2010 2:02 AM CDT

'Give Me the Freedom to Cover My Face'

'Bans as oppressive as Islam demands'

(Newser) - A suffocating Islamic abaya at first triggered tears of "rage and shame" from Londoner Nesrine Malik, humiliated by the oppressively "cumbersome" and "sexist" garb she was ordered by her parents to wear in Saudi Arabia. But the face-covering clothing has since become a "comfort and delight,...

French Tycoon Vows $1M to Pay Burka Fines

Goal is to render the new law useless

(Newser) - A French tycoon enraged by his country's 'Burka ban ' plans to set up a $1 million fund to help Muslim women fined for wearing the burka or niqab on the street. Rachid Nekkaz, a real estate magnate of Algerian origin, considers the ban "anti-constitutional" and has personally pledged...

French Assembly Votes to Ban Burka
French Assembly Votes
to Ban Burka
Jul 14, 2010 1:41 AM CDT

French Assembly Votes to Ban Burka

European nations lining up in crackdown

(Newser) - The French National Assembly has voted nearly unanimously to ban the burka in public, and the Senate is expected to do the same in a matter of weeks. France will likely become the second European nation after Belgium to crack down on the Islamic garb. Similar bills are also pending...

Veil Ripped off in French 'Burka Rage'

Women come to blows in clothing store

(Newser) - The first known case of "Burka rage" has erupted in France where a furious female lawyer ripped the veil from a Muslim woman in a clothing store in the town of Trignac. The lawyer made "snide remarks" about the other shopper's burka and said she couldn't wait until...

Muslim Woman Fined $650 for Wearing Veil

Penalty believed first in Italy

(Newser) - A Tunisian immigrant has become the first woman in Italy fined for wearing a veil. The 26-year-old woman was stopped by police at a post office in the city of Norova—a stronghold of the anti-immigration Northern League party—and told she was in violation of a local bylaw barring...

Belgium Passes Burka Ban

 Belgium Passes Burka Ban 
Apr 30, 2010 8:53 AM CDT

Belgium Passes Burka Ban

Bill, which bans any kind of face covering, passes unopposed

(Newser) - Belgium's lower house of parliament today voted virtually unanimously in favor of a law aimed at banning burkas in public public places. The bill passed with 134 in favor, two abstaining, and none opposing. It moves now to the Senate, where it is expected to pass, but not before its...

Belgium Votes Today to Ban Muslim Veils

French may soon have similar law

(Newser) - Belgium is expected today to become the first nation to ban face-covering Muslim veils in public. Supporters of the bill say they're motivated by concerns about security as well as taking action to protect women's rights. "We think all people in public must show their face," Belgium lawmaker...

France Blinks in Burka Ban
 France Blinks in Burka Ban 
Jan 26, 2010 2:12 AM CST

France Blinks in Burka Ban

Panel urges full veils barred in public facilities

(Newser) - The French government appears to be backing down a tad in the great burka ban controversy. While President Nicolas Sarkozy has called for a total ban on full Muslim veils, which he considers a sign of "debasement," a French government committee is recommending that burkas or nijabs be...

Sarkozy Pushes for Burka Ban
 Sarkozy Pushes for Burka Ban 
Jan 14, 2010 9:23 AM CST

Sarkozy Pushes for Burka Ban

But it's 'essential that no one felt stigmatized,' says French prez

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy restated his support for a ban on the wearing of burkas in his country in a New Year's address today—while stressing that any decision should await the results of a parliamentary inquiry on the subject, which are expected later this month. While Sarkozy’s own party is...

France Moves to Ban Burkas
 France Moves 
 to Ban Burkas 
Dec 24, 2009 3:03 AM CST

France Moves to Ban Burkas

Sarkozy's party introduces bill to bar face-covering veils

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling party has introduced a bill to outlaw the wearing of full-length Islamic veils in public places. Burkas and all-covering niqabs will be banned under the bill, which would fine women who fully cover their face in public, the Christian Science Monitor reports.

Brit Cops Hunt Burka-Clad Robbery Gang

Ax-wielding male thieves made off with cash, jewelry

(Newser) - British police are investigating three robberies in which men covered in burkas stole hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and jewelry. In separate incidents, the men burst into travel agency and jeweler shops, threatening employees with a knife, a gun, and even an ax, reports the Independent. The crimes...

Brit Swimming Pools Demand 'Burkinis' for Muslim Women

(Newser) - British pools are calling for top-to-toe "burkinis" for Muslim female swimmers, reports the Telegraph. The stance is in marked contrast to the policy at a pool in France, which last week banned the burkini, saying the garment was not "hygienic." A number of public pools in Britain...

Burka Is 'Not Welcome' in France: Sarkozy

Prez says religious covering a sign of female 'subservience'

(Newser) - Nicolas Sarkozy today spoke out strongly against Islamic coverings for women, like the burka, the BBC reports. In a rare speech to parliament, which is considering a ban, the French president said, “we cannot accept to have in our country women who are prisoners behind netting. … The burka...

France Considers Burka Ban
 France Considers Burka Ban 
Jun 20, 2009 11:01 AM CDT

France Considers Burka Ban

(Newser) - France’s parliament is making noises about banning head-to-toe Islamic women’s dress such as the burka and niqab, the Times of London reports. Opponents called the the dress “a moving prison” and a “tomb," and say it's cropping up more in big cities. If the burka...

'Radical' Muslim Woman Can't be French Citizen

Officials say religion doesn't jell with French values like sex equality

(Newser) - France has rejected a Muslim woman’s application for citizenship because her “radical practice of her religion” doesn’t fit French values, especially in terms of gender equality, the Guardian reports. Faiza M., who wears a burqa, speaks French and lives in Paris with a French national husband and...

18 Afghans Killed by Bomber in a Burka

Taliban claims responsibility for blast

(Newser) - A suicide bomber wearing a burka killed 18 people today in a western Afghanistan bazaar, Reuters reports. A spokesman for the Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the attack, said the bomber was a man. The past two years have been Afghanistan’s bloodiest since 2001, and some Western officials fear...

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