Muslim driver fined for wearing veil

Niqab

A Muslim woman has accused French police of attacking her freedom after she was fined for wearing a niqab while driving in the city of Nantes.

The 31-year-old, who says she has worn the full veil for nine years and never been told not to wear it behind the wheel, was flagged down by two police officers and told that her niqab – which did not cover her eyes – was a safety risk.

“My eyes were not covered. I can see just like you and my field of vision was not obstructed,” the woman, whose name has not been reported, said.

She was fined €22 by the officers, who argued she was infringing the highway code by “driving in unsuitable conditions”.

Observers said the incident was an indication of the authorities’ increasingly tough attitude towards face-covering veils.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has ordered the government to prepare legislation to ban the garment in all public places. France’s highest court has warned that such a move could be unconstitutional.