Sarkozy choses highly symbolic setting for burka ban

The daily Latvijas Avize asserts that French President Nicolas Sarkozy deliberately chose a highly symbolic setting when he called for the Muslim burka to be banned in his speech before the two chambers of parliament in Versailles: "A few years ago under [President Jacques] Chirac a law was passed forbidding conspicuous religious symbols at schools, and the then interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy was not an impassioned advocate of the ban. Bus as president he has repeatedly triggered controversies on the role of religion and come under fire for violating the secular foundations of the state. But for Sarkozy the burka is not a religious symbol but a sign of submission that deprives its wearer of her identity, making her a prisoner and marginalising her from society. … However another reason for Sarkozy choosing such a historical setting for this awkward issue is probably that he wanted to butter up to the mood prevalent among right-wing voters."

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