Belgium's Muslim council and rights group Amnesty International are leading the criticism of plans to ban burqa-type Islamic dress in public. They condemn Thursday's vote by the House of Representatives to back a bill which considers burqa-type clothing incompatible with basic security because everyone in public must be recognizable. Belgium became Europe's first country to vote for a ban on the full Islamic veil or burqa with France set to follow suit. The bill will not enter force for weeks and may have to be re-examined if early elections are called as Belgium battles a political crisis. “We're the first country to spring the locks that have made a good number of women slaves, and we hope to be followed by France, Switzerland, Italy, and the Netherlands; countries that think,” said liberal deputy Denis Ducarme. In the lower house of the federal parliament Thursday night, 136 deputies supported a nationwide ban on clothes or veils that do not allow the wearer to be fully identified, including the full-face niqab and burqa. There were two abstentions. No one voted against. The ban will be imposed in streets, public gardens and sports grounds or buildings “meant for public use or to provide services” to the public, according to the text of the bill. Exceptions could be allowed for certain festivities like carnivals if municipal authorities decide to grant them. People who ignore it could face a fine of 15-25 euros ($20-$34) and/or a jail sentence of up to seven days. Meanwhile, according to a leaked version of a proposed law revealed Friday, France will jail and impose huge fines on anyone who forces a woman to wear a full-face veil. While women will face only a 150 euro penalty if they choose to don a burqa or a niqab, President Nicolas Sarkozy wants to slap one-year prison terms and 15,000-euro ($20,000) fines on those who make others wear them.
