28 February 2011

German president defends school burqa ban to Qatari students

Speaking to a group of University of Doha students in Qatar, German President Christian Wulff stood behind a his country's ban on burqas in schools, saying the full-body veil and education don't mix.

German President Christian Wulff wrapped up a trip to the Gulf states on Monday, with a question-and-answer session at the University of Doha in Qatar. Wulff answered a veiled student's question with a defense of a ban on burqas in German schools.

"The conscious decision to cover yourself up clashes with the duty of the state to educate its children," he said. "Showing your face is part of a free society."

A person wearing a burqa in Europe appeared to be calling into question the equality between men and women, Wulff said. "But we don't want to question this equality." [Deutsche Welle] Read more [via Islamophobia Watch]