Common, french population truly understands the religious freedom and is afflicted by this decision. As a smoker, I feel my freedom reduced as well. My religious belief is part of my private life, not public life. I keep my crucifix at home and don’t show it to anybody.

The main reason is more political rather than reasonable. Like most of Europeans countries, France faces a massive and constant immigration wave from Muslim countries. It is a new phenomena with no equivalence in the past. It is difficult for an old secular country to host so much new people in a such short period of time.

A minority of muslims rejected systematically our (western)values, rules of law, democracy… This minority of hardliners is extremely proselyt religiously and politically. Whatever you propose, they never agree and ask always for more because they pretend to be different. Many examples have been shown by other communities. Muslim women refuse to be examine and cure by a male doctor. I can’t go to the public swimming pool on tuesday morning because it is restricted to muslim women. Some social workers told me that they met muslim women who did not speak a word of french after 10 years of residency. The reason is simple, they were not allowed to go out alone in the street and speak with someone. Those preachers keep their wife home and make babies while the rest of the time, they spend their welfare in bistro playing lottery. Great. Another story, my child is in a christian private school, some muslims parents complains because of the crucifix on the wall. They want teachers to remove it. That simply shows a great capacity of adaptation.
About politics, France is largely producing services today and has outsourced lots of it industry in low wage country. The country doesn’t have the ability anymore to supply jobs to all the new comers - legal or undoc- especially the low skill ones. I mention that because the muslim community has the feeling to be abandon. Each generation of migrant is integrated thru jobs but is immediately replaced by a new one. This is why things looks so much static. Young muslim men or women rejected french society for that reason. To show it, men have barbs and women the egyptian Niquab, rarely the veils. Muslim minorities are more religious here than in their country of origin. The last point, most of countries who supply migrants are ex-socialist dictature. They are corrupted countries and failed to improve the basic requirement for their polulation. Their leaders always raised them with the idea that it is the fault of the bad colonialism. It is not me, that’s the others…A little bit simple, isn’t it, especially when you think of the huge mineral ressources they have.
To come back to the veil, it is like the ban on tobacco, you can not do it in public place, you can not teach in public school with the veil or in any public position.

I do not believe the French government should ban head scarves in public areas, however veils and face coverings (esp full body coverings) are different.

Also, why has there not been a strong reaction to Switzerland’s banning of minarets in the country? Is this not a violation of religious freedom?

European created society is based of fairness, we must make every effort to create good understand of Islam for peace & harmony l suggest to look ahead and embrace the changes

As long as no laws are being broken one has right to wear what they like but it clearly shows French government narrow mindedness and discrimination against women, Islamic faith and the basic Human Rights Charter.

I’m not sure the percent of Muslim women who commit crimes, but I’m thinking it’s pretty small. The other thing is that if someone robs a shop, they’re wearing a ski mask anyways. So it doesn’t matter.

@Ralph Goodridge “Do you really think that those Burka-wearing women are protesting of their own free will? Or are they just afraid of their husbands, brothers and other males in their families who are forcing them to say that they like wearing a Burka?”

This is like saying that all muslim men are oppressive and keep their wives on short leashes, which is not true. Except for France, Islamic women in the west wear the burka at their free will. The area of the US that I live in is heavily Islamic. My high-school took a field trip to a mosque and the women explained to us that wearing a burka is just traditional and without it, they feel really weird.
Nobody should be told what not to wear, as long as it’s appropriate. (which the burka is)

@Roy
“France don’t have the largest Muslim community in Europe. I think it’s Turkey”. Typically, Turkey is not in Europe.

@Frank Li
“deport those backward thinkers, but before you stated “it is about time that someone had the courage to make a progressive movement towards equality”. Nice progressiveness!!! Remember “I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Voltair again. Would you cut your hand if it was sick?

@from utah, the shitholeon
“i believe the burka should not be banned. most western muslim women wear it because they choose to” Not really. As I said above, most of them are forced to wear that, otherwise, this is an offense to the invisible man.

@SGT. Dela
Christianity isn’t better than Islam. Every form of organized religion is the same. Islam might be more authoritarian, but the difference is not that huge. Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, African religions… imagine, they all live in a different apartment of the same block of flats. I don’t despise that there are Muslim fundamentalists in the West, but so far, what the U$ government does is to take over their land, butcher innocent people, stealing their sources. That’s the truth that the U$ Media don’t tell you. For more study “Noam Chomsky and the Media”
Check this out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPOfurmrjxo

@david
“The world has become a global village and we must learn to live together in peace and harmony”.
The world has become a huge corporate village. We can’t have peace as the world is divided in East and West. What are the difference between internationalism and globalization? The first serves the people, the second those with power, those who control the banking system and the media. They spread hatred and bigotry; they hypnotize us with nonsense ideas like patriotism, because without patriotism we have no wars thus the gun industry which is a very important source of incomes, would go bankrupt. It’s the tactic of divide and conquer.

Bottom line: The real problem is that people are forced to obey religious views. For centuries and centuries religion has been used as a tool to manipulate the masses, to scare us that if we resist the invisible man will punish us forever and ever with the worst way so we have to obey and become passive to everything they tell us if we want to “save our souls”. Even if you eradicate Islam, there will come another form of totalitarian religion, regime etc as long as there is PROFIT and monetarism. Even in Europe which supposed to be more civilized, in the isolated areas blind religiousness keeps well. What is they key? Education, information. Schools should not to teach the children to talk telepathically to imaginary friends but things which actually exist. Science, technology, these helped us a few thousand years ago to understand that thunder-lightnings are not caused by angry Gods who had a bad time and wanted to fight each other but it is the law of nature. Technology and solidarity moves things forward. Blind religiousness and separatism leads us back to the heart of darkness!