France fines women for bearing burqa and niqab
France kicked off the implementation of ban on the burqa and niqab, full-body and face veils worn by some Muslim women. Starting Monday, those women who defy the law can be fined.
“France Press” agency writes that Parliament passed the ban last making France the first country in the West to do so.
Officers may fine noncompliant women 150 euros ($216) and are not to remove the veils by force.
The law gives tougher penalties for anyone who forces a woman to wear the garments, with fines of up to 60,000 euros and up to two years in prison.