# France considering banning the veil--how about you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 16, 2010, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-considering-banning-the-veil-how-about-you/525163 "2010-01-16T03:06:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-considering-banning-the-veil-how-about-you/525163/101 "2010-01-20T01:23:16Z")
What if it’s a Chanel scarf? Hermes? Gucci? Still banned? (If they do ban head scarves, we should ban Hermes and Chanel and all designer scarves!) ---
**Author:** ![Translucent\_Daydream](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/translucent_daydream/32/16170_2.png) [@Translucent\_Daydream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Translucent_Daydream)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-considering-banning-the-veil-how-about-you/525163/102 "2010-01-20T01:31:51Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > Thirded. I still can’t understand why some people disagree that it’s a security issue. How can I tell it’s a woman under there? Of course with a hijab, you can at least tell the sex of the wearer. Uh, bullcrap! Haven’t you seen _Nuns on the Run_? Like, nobody could tell that those crazy habit wearing fools were DUDES!!! You never know… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-considering-banning-the-veil-how-about-you/525163/103 "2010-01-20T02:09:39Z")
> [@Translucent\_Daydream](#): > > Maybe it could help. You seem to be assuming that they actually want to wear it. I know some probably do, but some don’t. My Persian girlfriend won’t put anything in her hair because when she was in Iran and her headscarf fell off, she was beaten repetatedly. Its law you know, to have to wear one. At least in those countries. Why do the wants of either group need to be legislated in France? And why is your friend not able to recognize when she’s not in Iran? ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-considering-banning-the-veil-how-about-you/525163/104 "2010-01-20T02:13:02Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Well you can’t run around in public naked. If they won’t allow you to do that, I dont see why they cant restrict you from running around like a mummy either. Heh, both should be legal. ---
**Author:** ![conurepete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e57/32.png) [@conurepete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/conurepete)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-considering-banning-the-veil-how-about-you/525163/105 "2010-01-20T02:39:19Z")
Gonzomax is right about Dearborn. If it helps, they mostly wear designer clothes, full makeup and lingerie from Victoria’s Secret or Fredrick’s of Hollywood under those. Except some of the older ladies, who wear nice dresses. I would be very concerned about banning the full veil, but if you want to be in a secure area, operate machinery or be somewhere where your immediate identity must be apparent for security (like an airport, or a school), it seems reasonable that faces should be visible (after all, most humans are programmed for face recognition). My problem with the full veils is they seem kind of creepy, like they reduce you to a cipher labeled “FEMALE” so big it interferes with other signs of personal or professional identity. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-considering-banning-the-veil-how-about-you/525163/106 "2010-01-20T04:55:47Z")
> [@conurepete](#): > > My problem with the full veils is they seem kind of creepy, like they reduce you to a cipher labeled “FEMALE” so big it interferes with other signs of personal or professional identity. Interesting observation. I can’t help but feel all the bull reasons given for wearing it would have more traction if men had to wear them, too. It’s damn hot in there. I always wonder what they’ll look like [as ghosts.](http://blogs.98pxy.com/files/2008/10/ghost-sheet.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-considering-banning-the-veil-how-about-you/525163/107 "2010-01-20T06:24:40Z")
> [@Translucent\_Daydream](#): > > Maybe it could help. You seem to be assuming that they actually want to wear it. I know some probably do, but some don’t. My Persian girlfriend won’t put anything in her hair because when she was in Iran and her headscarf fell off, she was beaten repetatedly. Its law you know, to have to wear one. At least in those countries. What are “those countries”? There are actually only a few countries that require the headscarf (Iran is one of them). It’s not that widespread. In Turkey, in fact, women are forbidden from wearing the headscarf in government-run buildings. The president of Turkey sends his daughters to university in the US so they can wear the headscarf. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2010, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-considering-banning-the-veil-how-about-you/525163/108 "2010-01-20T13:54:25Z")
> [@translucent daydream](#): > > uh, bullcrap! Haven’t you seen _nuns on the run_? Like, nobody could tell that those crazy habit wearing fools were dudes!!! You never know… > > :d ]iIT’S A TRAP! ---
**Author:** ![Eleasarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/779978/32.png) [@Eleasarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleasarian)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-considering-banning-the-veil-how-about-you/525163/109 "2010-01-25T15:07:45Z")
[Click.](http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/5089/syrianhijab.jpg) My (all girls) high school of around 1000 seemed to be at least half Muslim. Most wore ‘normal’ clothes, just more modest (covering arms and legs) than usual, with a hijab. A few wore no hijab. Two girls were more conservative with a long skirt and loose clothes and hijab. And a handful wore it as labeled in that amusing cartoon as “sexy hijab”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-considering-banning-the-veil-how-about-you/525163.md?page=5)