Muslim woman in France fined after being caught driving while wearing a burqa – which is banned in France. Elad Benari – Israel National News A Muslim woman has been fined in France for driving while wearing a burqa, the British Daily Mail reported on Friday. According to the report, the reason given for the fine is that the garment “reduced her field of vision.” The woman was handed an on-the-spot fine under article 412-6 of the French highway code, which states: “Field of vision must not be restricted by either passengers, objects being transported or by the position of non-transparent objects on the windows,” the report said. The woman was also told she was in breach of the country’s burqa ban which went into effect last April. Violators of the ban face a fine of €150 and a compulsory course reminiscent of courses for recidivist traffic violators. Police Spokesman Laurent Dufour told the Daily Mail, “The officer who stopped her said she was driving hesitantly and clearly could not see properly.” He added, “Looking out through a narrow slit in the fabric is as dangerous as driving while eating a sandwich, smoking or with an iced-up windscreen.” France was the first country in Europe to outlaw Muslim headgear that hides the face. A parliamentary committee in Belgium later voted to ban the burqa as well. Italy has also drafted a similar law.
