France votes to ban the veil

A near unanimous vote in the French Senate will likely make France the first European country to ban Islamic face coverings.

The French Senate has voted 246 to 1 to make it illegal for Muslim women to wear veils that cover their faces in public. The law, presented to the upper house of French parliament today, had already been passed in the lower house and now needs only the signature of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Legislators said they would send the law to a constitutional council before it goes into effect in order to satisfy criticism that it will impede on the French public's right to religious expression. Islam is the second largest religion in France, but only about 2,000 women in the country wear the type of veils in question. Belgium is considering a similar law, and some see the ban as a sign of growing Islamophobia in Europe.