French envoy justifies burqa ban

New Delhi, Feb.10 (ANI): French Ambassador to India Jirtme Bonnafont has justified the proposed ban on the veil. He believes the burqa impedes the secular credentials of the country and is unacceptable to the majority Muslims living in France.

France has over five million Muslims and Islam is the second religion of country after Christianity. Over decades most of the Muslims have migrated to France from sub-Sahara Africa and North Africa for better financial options and these migrants in particular are resisting Government's move to ban Burqa, talking tough on the issue and making an apparent reference to migrants French envoy Bonnafont said " Why choose a country where you are not comfortable, why migrate to a country where you don't respect law.

France has been in consultation with many Muslim bodies and Islamic think tanks across the globe, which also includes the association of Imams in India according to sources.

Bonnafont also cited security as one of the reasons that full Naqab could not be allowed and is unacceptable.

According to him one could not distinguish a person clad in a Burqa was a male or a female.

France also believes that Burqa also undermines the gender equality and the struggle for equal rights which the French women is waging for years.

Display of religious symbols at government schools is already banned, and approximately twenty percent of pupils are studying in private schools, which are under tight government control.

Alike Muslims, Sikhs in France have also expressed their anguish over the ban on wearing turban in the government schools, The issue has been raised twice by the Indian Prime Minister with President Sarkozy.

Off late on the sidelines of CHOGM at Port of Span and the French envoy has confirmed that the matter is under consideration.

However many believes that if legislation to ban Burqa comes to life which is most likely then it will be more difficult for the French government to lift the ban on turbans. (ANI)