In France earlier this week, a law came into effect banning people from covering their face in public. Of course, those who are most affected by this new law are those who wear the niqab.

For a feminist perspective on the issue, I recommend the following articles:

• http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2010/07/14/banning-the-veil-loving-the-face/
• http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2011/04/14/frances-sham-veil-ban/

I’m not an expert on religion so I don’t want to dig too deeply into the issue, but for the record- I don’t support the law. Although some may claim that the law is helping to restore freedom in the lives of these women, the reality is that it is taking away their right to make their own choices. It is also very likely that those women who have been forced to cover their face in public will no longer be allowed out of the house.

This is one case where legislating on women's rights (albeit implicitly) is wrong.