Belgium bans burkas: Women who refuse to show faces to be jailed

Belgium became the first European country to impose a full ban on wearing a burka last night.
Its parliament approved a draft law which states women can be jailed for hiding their faces in public.
The bill - which must be rubber-stamped by the Belgian senate - is set to become law by July.
Centre-Right MP Daniel Bacquelaine said last night: 'The notion of recognising people in the street is essential to maintain public order.
'It's also a question of human dignity. The full face veil turns a woman into a walking prison.'
The ground-breaking legislation comes just ten days after an earlier vote on banning the burka was scuppered by the collapse of the country's parliament and resignation of its prime minister, Yves Leterme.
Despite the political turmoil, MPs in the fragile five-party coalition managed to push through the controversial law yesterday evening.
It means anyone will be banned from covering their face in a public place, including the street, shops, offices, schools and hospitals.


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