After more than six months straining to convince itself of the immense, nationwide danger of a phenomenon that involves fewer than 0.1% of France’s Muslim population, a parliamentary committee yesterday ­recommended the banning of the full veil in many of France’s public places. There is nothing eccentric about asking why they are getting so bothered.

As usual, when France confronts such debates, a panoply of intellectuals, politicians and artists gasp their indignation over an alleged assault on “our values”, wheeling out their rhetorical big guns to denounce the “philosophical scandal” of refusing to show one’s face publicly.

We have been systematically treated to five justifications, all hammered home with the aim of getting the full veil banned for good: the feminist, the theological, the humanistic, the ­securitarian and, finally, the prophylactic. None of these justifications has been convincing. For a start, the vast majority of women concerned have clearly actively chosen to wear the veil, sometimes in the face of opposition from their family. Moreover, many see their veils as a means of expressing independence, even sometimes as a vehicle of feminine empowerment.

Story continues at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/belief/2010/jan/26/proposed-veil-ban-in-france