France’s Mask Mandate Highlights Debate Over Veil Ban

"France, the originator of the burqa ban, has done more than any other Western country over the past decade to resist the face veil in public," the newspaper writes.

At the time of deconfinement, the country makes the wearing of masks mandatory in all public places, including transport and schools, under penalty of fines. Drawing a comparison between the wearing of the mask and the ban on wearing the veil, the newspaper reports that "many Muslims, defenders of religious freedom and scholars" ironize: a French society that masks, but refuses to veil its citizens.

The author of the article recalls that in 2004, France had banned the headscarf in public schools. Reason given: religious neutrality of public institutions. "In 2010, the country banned the wearing in public of the niqab and the burqa, which completely cover the face, arguing that these garments threatened public safety and represented a rejection of a society of equal citizens," it is recalled.

The Minister of the Interior, Christophe Castaner, indicates that under French law, a woman who wears a religious face covering is liable "to the fine provided for offenses of the second class", but "the wearing of a mask intended to prevent any risk of covid-19 contagion does not constitute a criminal offense". "This implies that if a Muslim woman wanted to get on the Paris metro, she would have to remove her burqa and replace it with a mask," the author of the article ironizes.

"This amounts to saying that it is the problem of Islam. If you cover your face for Islam, it is not in accordance with the Republic. If you cover your face for a reason that has nothing to do with Islam, it is acceptable," it concludes.