French ban on Islamic headscarf comes into force

Despite there having been considerable sentiment in favour of such legislation, Franceis the first country in Europeto publicly ban a form of dress some Muslims regard as a religious duty.

Under the law, any woman - French or foreign - walking on the street or in a park in Franceand wearing a face-concealing veil such as the niqab or burqa can be stopped by police and given a fine.

Anyone caught breaking the law will be liable to a €150 fine (£133, $217) as well as a citizenship course, while people forcing women to wear the veil face a much larger fine and a prison sentence of up to two years.

It is a small fine for those caught wearing the veil - but symbolically this is a huge change that, as many are speculating, directly impacts the free exercise of socio-cultural norms and religious practices around the world.

The French government defended the law by saying the face-covering veil undermines the basic standards required for living in a shared society, and also relegates its wearers to an inferior status incompatible with French notions of equality.

Many questioned whether a total legal ban was necessary when, on most estimates, only 2,000 or so women in Franceactually wear the niqab or burqa.

Critics of French President Nicolas Sarkozy have said that the Muslim question represented an expedient political avenue to secure support, given his current standing as an unpopular president in need of an easy vote-winner.