With a new law, the French salvaged an aspect of Western civilization.
The law prohibits “concealment of the face in public, especially by wearing a full body covering” (“dissimulation du visage dans l’espace public, en particulier par la pratique du port du voile intégral”). In other words, it does not explicitly mention the Islamist gear known as niqab (which covers a woman’s body except for the eyes) and burqa (covers the entire body).
Clever. But “concealment of the face” takes place routinely. Large, dark sunglasses hide the eyes. Surgical face masks (worn to fend off contagious diseases) cover the nose and mouth. Fire-retardant hoods obscure the neck, ears, and hair. Worn together, sunglasses, mask, and hood, such as sported by actress Faye Dunaway last year at LAX, might be illegal under the new French law, even though it is not a problem.
Continue reading Daniel Pipes at National Review Online’s The Corner…
