Excerpt:
'The burqa is not welcome in France."
- Nicolas Sarkozy
French President Nicolas Sarkozy intention to rid France of facial coverings worn by Muslim women was realized on Tuesday when the French Senate voted to outlaw all such veils in public spaces. The vote is regarded as eliminating a threat to France's secular values and another step towards integrating Europe's largest Muslim population.
The legislation passed by 246 votes to one with most Socialist Party deputies abstaining. France's lower legislative chamber, the National Assembly, had already unanimously approved of the measure last May with 434 votes cast for the resolution. It now only remains for France's Constitutional Council, which reviews all legislation for constitutional weaknesses, to give its stamp of approval for the law to come into effect.