Belgium's lower house of parliament votes to ban face veils
April 29, 2010 http://www.jihadwatch.org/2010/04/belgiums-lower-house-of-parliament-votes-to-ban-face-veils.html
Provided the law is allowed to stand and is enforced, it is a victory for human rights, non-Islamic law, and... Vitamin D. "Belgian lawmakers vote to ban full Islamic veil in public," from Agence France-Presse, April 29:
AFP - Belgian lawmakers voted overwhelmingly Thursday to ban the wearing of the Islamic burqa in public, paving the way for the first clampdown of its kind in Europe.
In the lower house of federal parliament, 136 deputies voted to ban nationwide 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 upper house of parliament has two weeks to raise any objections to the decision.
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 the new law could face a fine of 15-25 euros (20-34 dollars) and/or a jail sentence of up to seven days, unless they have police permission to wear the garments.
All governing parties and the opposition agreed on the move -- most on the basis that people cannot be recognised wearing the clothing....
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