French Minister: Ban Burkas

A female Muslim minister in France, Fadela Amara, told the Financial Times that she hopes the burka will be banned in her country because it represents “the oppression of women,” and might stop the “cancer” of radical Islam from spreading. French legislators are conducting hearings on whether to ban the burka, which covers the entire body except for the eyes. President Nicolas Sarkozy said it’s unacceptable to have women be “prisoners behind netting” and that the burka is “not welcome” in France, which has Western Europe’s largest Muslim population. The National Assembly formed a 32-member committee to look into the matter.