Jordan Islamist: French veil ban is war on Muslims

Published April 12, 2011 at 1:41 pm

A young muslim girl's shoes are seen beneath a banner as veiled muslim women take part in a protest in London, against France banning the wearing of Islamic veils in public, Monday, April 11, 2011. France's new ban on Islamic face veils was met with a burst of defiance Monday, as several women appeared veiled in front of Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral and two were detained for taking part in an unauthorized protest. France on Monday became the world's first country to ban the veils anywhere in public, from outdoor marketplaces to the sidewalks and boutiques of the Champs-Elysees.

Photo by AP

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — The head of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood says France's ban on the Islamic face veil is a war against Muslims.

Hammam Saeed claims the move is a violation of French civil liberties and underlines a "new crusader behavior" against Muslims.

Saeed said in a statement on April 12 that it "marks the beginning of a dangerous war" between cultures. The Brotherhood’s political arm, the Islamic Action Front, is Jordan’s largest opposition group.

The Brotherhood advocates the introduction of strict Islamic Sharia laws in the country. Jordan is a key U.S. ally in the Mideast and along with Egypt is the only nation in the region with a peace treaty with Israel.

The first government-imposed ban on the face veil took effect in France on Monday.