HISTORY IN THE MAKING S A S -v- Republic of FRANCE [case no: 43835/11] O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters, and the believing women, to draw their veils over their bodies. That will be better than they should be known as respectable so as not to be annoyed. (Sura 33:59) In 2011 France banned muslim sisters from wearing face veils in public. In Novemeber 2013 the Grand Chamber of the Human Rights Court, the highest human rights court, will hear the appeal of a french muslim womans complaint that the blanket ban on wearing a full face veil in public is unlawful because it interferes with her right to manifest her religious beliefs in public without being pressurised to do so. This is the first time the court will consider the issue which has attracted several human right organisations (parties who have joined the case) from all over the world. The French position is that the ban is justified because France is a secular state and that it considers that most if not all French muslim woman are wearing the full veil in order to obey their male family members and are not doing so freely. Belgium, Spain and other EU Member States have restrictions on woman wearing full face veils but their laws do not impose a blanket ban on wearing it in public. IF THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT WINS THE CASE THEN OTHER MEMBER STATES MAY WELL ADOPT A SIMILAR RESTRICTION NOT ONLY IN RELATION TO THE WEARING OF THE FULL FACE VEIL IN PUBLIC BUT ALSO IN RELATION TO RESTRICTING MANIFESTATIONS OF OTHER TYPES OF RELIGIOUS PRACTICES IN PUBLIC; SUCH AS BURIAL RITES OR BUILDING MOSQUES OR TEMPLES. Interestingly the UK (England) will consider a private members bill to ban the burka and the aim of the present bill is to make it illegal to wear the full face veil with the primary purpose to obscure the face in a public place. If this bill becomes law then there is no certainty that there will be no further curtailment of minority religious rights. A lot of work has to be done in preparation for the hearing on 27th November 2013. Belgium has applied to join the case to support France. Spain is watching the case carefully as is the UK. The redoubtable Mr Ashraf Ali has almost single-handedly galvanised a legal team to assist the French muslim woman (Pakistani by origin) fight the case on a shoestring budget. The client is hopeful to win; she has been granted anonymity in the proceedings for obvious reasons. It is shameful that the Muslim community has so far failed to provide financial support to enable the legal team to fight this case adequately. We are therefore asking for your support directly and ask that you donate for the progression of this case to Ash Immigration Services Account number: 03412067 Sort Code: 20-08-44 Barclays Bank. For further information feel free to contact Mr Ashraf Ali directly at the office 206 Warwick road, Sparkhill, Birmingham B11 2NB Tel: 0121 753 0999 or on his mobile 07974644123. You could also contact me (Juvairia) for more details or for donations.
Posted on: Tue, 12 Nov 2013 18:47:37 +0000
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