French Bishops Oppose Ban on Burqa

Recently, I have been commenting on the "Islam paradox" that currently plagues the Roman Catholic church. Simply put, this paradox involves a popular resistance among Catholic laypeople against Muslim immigrants, and a simultaneous endorsement of Muslim rights from Vatican powers-that-be. The tension that has resulted from this paradox has only grown in recent months after the Swiss referendum on minarets and the current push by French politicians to ban the wearing of the burqa in public places.



Today the French bishops came out openly against the proposed ban, arguing that restrictions on Muslim rights in Europe will only cause further restrictions on Christians' rights in Muslim countries.



Only time will tell how this paradox will be resolved.



Find the article at the London Evening Standard website.

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Veil ban would harm Christians in Muslim countries, French church warns



01.02.10

The French Catholic Church warned today that Islamic countries would not respect their Christian minorities if Nicolas Sarkozy's government banned full-face Muslim veils.

Bishop Michel Santier, the senior French official for inter-faith relations, said very few women in France wore full veils and that Muslim leaders agreed it was not obligatory.

A parliamentary commission last week urged the National Assembly to pass a resolution condemning full veils and then work out a law to ban them.

Mr Santier said the result of a law could increase the number of women wearing a veil.

“The French, including the Catholics among them, should not let themselves be gripped by fear or a clash of civilisations' theory,” he said.

“If we want Christian minorities in Muslim majority countries to enjoy all their rights, we should in our country respect the rights of all believers to practice their faith. A dialogue in truth among believers will help us go beyond mutual mistrust. The path will be long and hard.”

The Vatican has long pointed to the rights of Muslim minorities in Western countries when pressing Islamic countries to allow more religious freedom for Christians. French Jewish leaders have also expressed concern about a veil ban.

Claude Gueant, an aide to President Sarkozy, said yesterday that he doubted a total ban would be legally possible.

French police say about 1,900 women wear the full veils, mostly niqabs which show only the eyes. Critics say they must be outlawed as an insult to women's rights and a sign of Islamic radicalism.