A 26-year-old Tunisian woman was fined in northern Italy while wearing a Muslim veil in public, reports say.
The woman was walking to a mosque, Friday with her husband when she was stopped by police and ticketed 500 euros, or about C$665, in Novara, about 38 kilometres west of Milan.
The city of 100,000 passed a bylaw in January outlawing clothes that ‘prevent identification by police.’
The region is home to the Northern League, a coalition ally supporting Italy’s conservative Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, which seeks a nationwide ban on the traditional Islamic garments, similar to laws being proposed in Belgium and France.
Supporters say the veils are detrimental to public security and deny woman dignity.
Opponents argue such bans violate human and constitutional rights.
In Canada, Quebec is considering barring women who wear a veil from receiving government services.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/yahoocanada/100504/canada/italian_police_fine_women_for_burqa
