On April 12, a law went into effect in France that bans the wearing of veils that cover the face in public. This law is targeted toward Muslim women who consider it their religious duty to wear a veil covering the face. Offenders of the new law face a fine of 150 euros and those who force women to wear the veil face a much larger fine and a possible prison sentence. France is the first country in Europe to enact such a law, and it is also home to five million Muslims, the largest Muslim minority in Western Europe.
According to the BBC, only about 2,000 out of these five million choose to wear the full veils, but on the first day the law went into effect, protesters were arrested outside of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris while wearing niqabs, which is a veil that covers the face but leaves the area around the eyes clear. Police said they were not arrested because of the veils but instead because they participated in an unauthorized protest, but these arrests are still the first associated with the new law.
While the intentions of such a law may be in the interest of non-secularism and freedom for women, it actually comes off as xenophobic and unreceptive to the traditions of different cultures. Those who wear the veil do so as a symbol of religious piety, and religious practices should not be regulated by the federal government. If France wishes to promote a non-secular culture, perhaps its government should refrain from interfering with religious practices. Telling a Muslim woman that she cannot keep her face hidden is akin to telling an orthodox Jew that it is unacceptable to wear his yarmulke in public. Such a law would be unheard of in the United States, much less put into effect. The veil is a cultural tradition, and to ban a practice of a certain cultural group should not be a concern of the federal government.
This law was also put into effect to prevent the oppression of women, but many women willingly choose to wear the veil. As for those who are actually being forced to wear the veil and therefore oppressed, they deserve protection under the law, but the legal protection should be more refined than instating a blanket ban on the garment altogether. It comes down to a matter of separation of church and state – one should never regulate the other.
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