The French parliament has approved a ban on wearing a full-face veil in public.
The law will come into force early next year if it is not overturned by senior judges. The bill had already cleared the lower house in July and was passed by the Senate with 246 votes to one.
The text makes no mention of Islam, but President Nicolas Sarkozy's government promoted the law as a means to protect women from being forced to wear Muslim full-face veils such as the burqa or the niqab.
The law will come into force early next year if it is not overturned by senior judges. The bill had already cleared the lower house in July and was passed by the Senate with 246 votes to one.
The text makes no mention of Islam, but President Nicolas Sarkozy's government promoted the law as a means to protect women from being forced to wear Muslim full-face veils such as the burqa or the niqab.
