As France has moved closer to a ban on burqas, German politicians are debating whether a similar measure was necessary in their own country, national media reported.
According to DDP, after a French parliamentary commission ruled earlier this week that the enveloping garment worn by some Islamic women is unacceptable and recommended a ban in schools and public offices, former Social Democratic parliamentarian, Turkish-German Lale Akgun made as case for a similar ban in Germany.
"The burqa is a full-body prison that deeply threatens human rights," she told daily Frankfurter Rundschau. "It would be an important signal for Germany to ban the burqa."
A burqa ban in German should include schools, universities, and high-security zones such as banks and airports, she said.
However, fellow party member Dieter Wiefelspütz rejected the suggestion.
"We have a different understanding of freedom than the French," he told the paper, adding that an enlightened Islam could not be forced.
Green party leader Cem Ozdemir said the debate overlooked the real conflict of integration, stressing that the number of women who wear burqas in Germany is low.
BERLIN, January 30 (RIA Novosti)
