Sarko says burqas are not de rigueur
TIMING is everything, so the day that President Nicolas Sarkozy chose to announce that burqas -- garments that cover women from head to toe and hide their faces -- had no place in France was surprising.
For as our picture shows, it was also the day that Mr Sarkozy and his wife Carla Bruni welcomed Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani and his wife Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned to the Elysee Palace.
During a solemn speech to parliament, Mr Sarkozy backed an initiative launched by legislators last week who expressed concern over an increase in the use of burqas in France.
"The issue of the burqa is not a religious issue, it is a question of freedom and of women's dignity," Mr Sarkozy told parliament. "The burqa is not a religious sign, it is a sign of the subjugation, of the submission, of women. I want to say solemnly that it will not be welcome on our territory," he said to strong applause.
