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France issued its first ticket to a woman wearing an Islamic veil on Monday, the day a national ban on face coverings in public took effect. The new law is among a number of legal and political moves across Europe targeting Islam amid a growing debate over multiculturalism. Here are five recent actions taken regarding Islam in the public sphere.
Dutch burqa ban
When the far-right Freedom Party won a substantial number of seats in the 2010 Dutch parliamentary elections, it struck a deal with the dominant center-right parties: the Freedom Party would join a coalition government in exchange for the center-right party’s support for a ban on face coverings.
The ban has not been officially approved or put in place yet, but Geert Wilder, the Freedom Party leader who is well known for his opposition to Islam, told Reuters in December 2010 that it could be introduced as soon as this year.
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