UN committee says France's niqab ban violates 'human rights'

On Tuesday, the United Nations Human Rights Committee called on France to review its ban on niqabs, calling it a human rights violation.

The committee also called on the European country to review its controversial law which bans full-face veils, otherwise known as niqabs, as it "risks confining them to their homes."

"The French law disproportionately harmed the petitioners' right to manifest their religious beliefs," the committee said in a statement, according to CNN.

The statement also added that France failed to provide adequate information to justify the need for the ban.

"The Committee was not persuaded by France's claim that a ban on face covering was necessary and proportionate from a security standpoint or for attaining the goal of 'living together' in society," it added.

France has often been seen as intolerant of conservative Muslim traditions. The country banned students from wearing any religious symbols in public schools back in 2004. 

The niqab was later banned from being worn in public places in 2011; women can be fined up to 150 euros ($172) for donning the niqab in public. 

Several French municipalities also attempted to ban the burkini at public beaches in their jurisdiction back in 2016. However, these burkini bans were overturned in court as a violation of an individual's fundamental freedoms.

Last week, Algeria - a Muslim-majority country - banned women working in the public sector from wearing niqabs. 

Ahmed Ouahiya, the country's prime minister, publicized the decision in a letter to other ministers and regional governors, explaining the importance of identification in the workplace.

This prompted a discussion in Egypt, as one MP suggested the country follows in the footsteps of Algeria. In a proposal shared on Saturday, MP Ghada Agamy, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee of the House of Representatives, said the Egyptian government "should prevent women from wearing full-face veils in government workplaces," according to Egypt Independent. 

In 2017, Austria followed in the footsteps of France, Belgium, and many other European countries by enforcing a burqa ban, prohibiting Muslim women from wearing the outer garment used to cover themselves.

In the wake of the world's largest refugee crisis since World War II, the prominence of Daesh in the global consciousness and far-right nationalist movements, the Arab region and Muslim world have become the primary targets of Western politicians. 

Europe's far-right leaders have manifested their Islamophobic positions on many occasions. In fact, France's Marine Le Pen - who launched a second bid to become President of France in 2017 - went on trial in 2015 for an anti-Muslim hate speech.

In a 2010 rally, Le Pen compared Muslims praying to Nazi occupation. The court, however, acquitted her of the charges.

She has been a vocal opponent of the hijab and niqab in France, as well as advocating restrictions on halal meat and criticizing prayer rooms in work places.

In 2017, she drew significant media attention after refusing to wear a headscarf to meet the Grand Mufti of Lebanon during a visit to the country.