Paris: French President Nicolas Sarkozy says his country "cannot accept" that women are forced to wear full-body Islamic gowns.
Sarkozy says wearing the burqa or niqab isn't about religion, it's about freedom and women's dignity.
The French leader told a joint session of parliament on Monday that the burqa is "a sign of subservience, a sign of debasement" and that it "will not be welcome on the territory of the French Republic."
Dozens of French legislators have proposed a parliamentary commission to study the small but growing trend of wearing burqas and niqabs — a full-body veil, often in black, with slits for the eyes.
The panel could consider banning the gowns in public.
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