【英语国际】法国立法禁穿穆斯林罩袍

France risked the wrath of the Islamic world on Tuesday by banning burqas and other full-body robes worn by some Muslim women, in a long-debated move that shows the depth of concern over the rise of Muslim culture in Europe.

The vote -- passed primarily by the center-right party of President Nicholas Sarkozy, with the opposition Socialists abstaining -- came as a number of European countries are trying to figure out how to reconcile the values of modern Europe with more assertive expressions of Islamic faith.

Switzerland, for example, banned the construction of minarets after a referendum last year. Belgium and Spain are discussing measures to outlaw similar full-body cloaks. In Sweden, long known as one of Europe's most tolerant societies, an anti-immigration party that has called for Swedish Muslims to integrate more is expected to win its first Parliamentary seat in this weekend's elections.

In the U.S., tensions are running similarly high over plans to build an Islamic community center near the site of the World Trade Center destroyed by Muslim terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, and over a Florida pastor's threat to burn qurans in commemoration of the date last week.

France is facing criticism of its tolerance on other fronts: On Tuesday the European Union's justice commissioner excoriated the Sarkozy adminstration for its campaign to deport Gypsies, also known as Roma, calling it a 'disgrace' and saying the bloc would begin legal proceedings against the French government.

The legislation adopted Tuesday by the Senate, the upper house of the French Parliament, forbids people from concealing their faces in public. It makes no reference to Islam, and includes exceptions for people who need to cover up for work reasons, such as riot police and surgeons.

But it follows a year-long campaign by Mr. Sarkozy's ruling party against the burqa and niqab, head-to-toe robes worn by a small number of France's Muslim women. The burqa is 'a sign of enslavement and debasement,' Mr. Sarkozy said last year.

The bill is scheduled to come into force after six months. It has already passed the lower house, the National Assembly. At the Parliament's request, the law will be reviewed by France's Constitutional Council before it takes effect. The Council, which rejected several bills in recent years, can censor all or part of the law deemed to contradict the nation's bylaws.

The ban would apply to everyone in France, including visitors. Offenders face a maximum fine of 150 euros (about $190) and could be asked to attend courses on what the government calls 'republican values.' Individuals who encourage others to ignore the ban would face tougher penalties: up to one year in prison and a maximum fine of 30,000 euros.

法国顶着激怒伊斯兰世界的风险，于周二颁布法令禁止穆斯林妇女所穿的布卡罩袍（Burqa）和其他遮盖全身的长袍，这一长久以来争议重重之举表明了穆斯林文化在欧洲崛起引发的深度担忧。

Alexandre Renahy / JerryCom / Pix Palace一名穆斯林妇女身穿罩袍乘坐巴黎地铁。（照片摄于今年四月）。该禁令主要由法国总统萨科奇（Nicholas Sarkozy）领导的中右翼执政党投票通过，反对党社会党放弃了投票。这正值欧洲国家试图想办法调和现代欧洲的价值观与更为张扬的伊斯兰信仰之间的矛盾。

例如，瑞士去年经全民投票后禁止修建伊斯兰教尖塔。比利时和西班牙正在讨论禁止类似全身罩袍的措施。在瑞典这个一直以来最宽容的欧洲国家，一个曾号召瑞典穆斯林居民更多融入当地社会的反外来移民党派预计将在本周末的选举中获得首个议会席位。

在美国，由于计划在2001年9月11日被穆斯林恐怖分子炸毁的世贸中心（World Trade Center）遗址附近修建一座伊斯兰社区中心，以及佛罗里达的一位牧师上周威胁要焚烧可兰经以纪念911事件，同样的紧张气氛也弥漫开来。

法国在其他方面也面临着对其容忍度的批评：欧盟司法委员周二批评萨科奇政府驱逐吉普赛人（也被称为罗姆人）的举动，称该举动是“耻辱”，并表示欧盟将会开始对法国政府采取法律行动。

法国议会上议院实施的该法令禁止人们在公共场合遮盖面部。法令并未提到伊斯兰教，并允许防暴警察和外科医生等因为工作需要必须遮盖面部的例外情况。

在这之前，萨科奇所在的执政党反对布卡和尼卡罩袍已长达一年时间，这两种罩袍是部分在法国的穆斯林妇女穿戴的从头裹到脚的长袍。萨科奇去年说，布卡是奴役和卑贱的标志。

该法令将于6个月后生效。该法令已通过下议院国民议会（National Assembly）投票。根据议会要求，法令在生效前将交由宪法委员会（Constitutional Council）进行审查。若被认为与法国的地方法律相违背，该委员会可对该法的部分或整体进行审查，委员会在近几年已推翻过几项法案。

该禁令将对法国的所有人适用，包括游客。违反禁令者将面临最高150欧元（190美元）的罚款，还将被要求上课学习政府所说的“共和价值”（ republican values）。煽动他人无视禁令的人将受到更严厉的惩罚：最长一年的监禁和最高3万欧元的罚金。