Critics call new French ban of "dangerous" sails - USA Today

PARIS - Two women wearing Islamic face veils were carried offshore by police Monday the first day of a prohibition against the face is covered that the France said demeans women and are extremists. By Michel Euler, AP

Police later carry a veiled demonstrator unidentified in Paris Monday.

By Michel Euler, AP

Police later carry a veiled demonstrator unidentified in Paris Monday.

The law prohibits the niqab, which has just a slit for the eyes and the burqa, which has a screen mesh over the eyes and the people of fines up to $125 for violations.He unfairly target Muslims simply for a decision on how to dress, opponents say. "This law of exception in France, a nation built on laws, is harmful," said Nura Jaballah, Coordinator of the chapter France of the Forum European Muslims said Women.Jaballah targets of law a minority who should have the right to individual liberty and freedom of choice.Samira Akoumar, 20 student at the Sorbonne, was wearing a hijab, a veil on her head and carrying a Koran that she uses to pray between classes.She said that while most see the burqa as a symbol of oppression of women, women who wear to do voluntarily. "If you look at women in Paris wearing the burqa, many of them are converted and wear as a symbol of their faith,"she said."The law, approved in September, does not specifically mention this targeted Muslim costume and includes exceptions for motorcycle helmets, welders, performers festivals. People who force women to wear a risk of sailing up to one year in prison and a fine of $41,000. French President Nicolas Sarkozy argued the law as a means for Muslim immigrants better integrated into French society. Suburbs around Paris were taken by riots in recent years as Muslims require more opportunities of employment and respect for the laws and Islamic traditions.The France has 6 million Muslims, the largest population in Europe. In 2004, a law banning the wearing of headscarves and crosses on the public schools and Government buildings came into force.About a dozen people, including three women wearing the niqab sails, staged a protest in front of Notre Dame, saying that the ban is an affront to their freedom of expression and religion. Two veiled women were taken by police for having participated in a demonstration unauthorized, said police in Paris. They were later released after questioning. Homsy Faysal, 21, a student of public affairs at the Paris Institute of political studies, said that he supports the legislation. He said that the coatings are not an obligation under Muslim law, but a belief that the Saudi Wahhabists, which is the sect that Osama bin Laden adheres to the.He said that people who wear the full veil are the most radical kind of Muslims, "so" it's good to remember that we live in a Republic .mohammad T, 41, a garbage man, disagreement. "" I am concerned that it is not so much a security law as it is a matter of racism ", he said.For more information on reprints & permissions, see our FAQ. To report corrections and clarifications, contact standards editor Brent Jones. Review of the publication in the journal, please send your comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include the name, telephone number, city and State for the purposes of verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.We have updated the guidelines of Conversation. Changes include a brief review of moderation and an explanation on how to use the button "report abuse". To learn more.

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The French burqa ban comes into effect - Sydney Morning Herald

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French helicopters attacked Ivory Coast - time

(ABIDJAN, C?te d'Ivoire) - French on an evacuation mission helicopters fired on forces supporting the strong man in the country, while trying to remain in power in the largest city in Ivory Coast, a military spokesman, said Saturday.

No French soldiers were injured in the attack late Friday, but the French forces fired to destroy an armored vehicle, said the frigate Captain Frederic Daguillon. The mission to evacuate diplomats of an Embassy was interrupted, he said. The attack came the same night that the Embassy of France was hit by two mortars and a rocket fired by the forces of Laurent Gbagbo, who refuses to relinquish power or emerges a bunker at his residence. (See pictures of the grisly C?te d'Ivoire civil war).

Director of the peace of the United Nations Alain Le Roy said Friday that Gbagbo and his army have used negotiations with the United Nations this week as a ploy to consolidate their power and to strengthen its position. He said that an offer by top three generals of Gbagbo to abandon obviously a "trick" to save time.

Reports that Gbagbo and his top military men were negotiating a surrender had raised expectations Tuesday that the political crisis of four months in the West African country drew to its close. But later strongly Gbagbo denied that he wants to surrender and insists on the fact that the Presidency was legitimately his.

The power for a decade, Gbagbo refuses to resign, even if the United Nations ruled that he lost the presidential election of November to rival Alassane Ouattara. After four months of diplomacy, Ouattara gave the green light for military intervention conducted by a group of former rebels fighters. Forces first try to bomb Gbagbo out. When that failed, they attempted to attack the ground on the bunker.

The forces of the Ouattara stopped to try to kill the entrenched leader, a move that could fuel the anger of his supporters. Some 46 percent of Ivorians voted for Gbagbo. Ouattara, stated that the purpose is to wait for Gbagbo to lack food and water. (See why Gbagbo's final stand will be a pretty).

Friday, internationally recognized President Ouattara imposed a blockade around presidential residence of Gbagbo and said he will focus on the normalization of life in the city strewn corpse, terrorized. He said that his troops will endeavour to Abidjan, where people have hidden in their homes this week in fighting between troops loyal to Ouattara and those with Gbagbo.

The defence French Minister Gerard Longuet said that Gbagbo has some 1,000 soldiers from the force 2,000 - strong fought to install Ouattara.

As the military stalemate dragged in Abidjan, there are new concerns about tensions escalate into deadly violence in the West of the country. The United Nations said Friday, more than 100 bodies have been discovered in the last 24 hours, and some of the victims had been burned alive. "The reports that the team of human rights of the United Nations in C?te d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) is sending back are absolutely horrible," head of the human rights of the United Nations Navi Pillay said Friday. "They are bodies more every day.".

The head of the human rights of the United Nations has condemned the series of extremely brutal attacks against civilians and warned that those atrocities may amount to crimes against humanity. The UN said responsible guardians of peace and discovered about human rights 60 bodies in the West of the town of Guiglo. The United Nations human rights agency said another 40 corpses have been found lying Street on Blolequin, and many of them were slaughtered. Fifteen other bodies were found in Duékoué, where violence has already dead left at least 229 in recent weeks. ((What caused the situation in C?te d'Ivoire to intensify?))

Pillay has allowed an appeal by Ouattara on national television Thursday to all Ivorians to refrain from committing crimes or acts of revenge and said to those who will be punished. "Before even that the results of the disputed presidential election had been announced in December, I had warned the two candidates that they can be held responsible for acts of their followers to violence," said Pillay.

Post-election violence has left hundreds dead and forced up to 1 million people to flee. Military vehicles had to negotiate around body lying in the streets of Abidjan Friday. An incalculable number of combatants and civilian was killed in the city of this last week.

The International Rescue Committee advises that chaos is permeating this West African nation once divided into two by a civil war in 2002-2003, citing an "explosive mixture of political, economic and ethnic tensions". "We are concerned that the looting, hostility, bloodshed, reprisal killings and sexual assault climbing in communities across the country, said Louis Falcy, country Director of IRC in Ivory Coast."

Associated Press writer Anita Snow in the Organization of the United Nations contributed to this report.

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