By GetLegal.com

French lawmakers are moving toward a ban on women wearing full-faced veils in public office buildings, schools, hospitals and while using mass transit.  The movement was started last June when French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that the full-face veil was “not welcome” in France, as many view the veil as a gateway to extremism and a threat to gender equality and secularism.  Sarkozy commented that “In our country, we cannot accept that women be prisoners behind a screen, cut off from all social life, deprived of all identity.”  With more than 5 million Muslims living in France, this controversial ban has been highly criticized by Muslim leaders.  Surprisingly, however, the ban is supported by French Muslim women.

The question becomes whether this French ban on full-face veils is constitutional.    In 2004, French lawmakers passed a law that banned headscarves in schools and for government workers in state offices.  Generally, in the United States, the First Amendment of the Constitution protects citizens from bans on religious clothing.  However, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Nebraska have upheld laws that prohibit teachers from wearing religious clothing in classrooms.  The law requires neutrality regarding religion, meaning the states or schools can neither favor nor disfavor religion.  Discriminating against an individual based on race or national origin may be prosecuted under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  Please visit the EEOC’s website for further information: www.eeoc.gov/policy/vii.html.

The attorneys at Leeds Morelli & Brown, P.C., dedicate a large amount of their practice to employment discrimination claims.  For any questions, contact an attorney at the Leeds Morelli & Brown P.C. law firm for a free consultation at 1-800-585-4658. Leeds Morelli & Brown P.C.’s website is located at www.lmblaw.com.