<p>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 urged for a similar ban in Germany.<br /><br />"The burqa is a full-body prison that deeply threatens human rights," she told the Frankfurter Rundschau daily. "It would be an important signal for Germany to ban the burqa."<br /><br />A burqa ban in German should include schools, universities, and high-security zones such as banks and airports, the daily quoted her as saying Saturday.<br /><br />However, fellow party member Dieter Wiefelspütz rejected the suggestion.<br />"We have a different understanding of freedom than the French," he told the paper, adding that an enlightened Islam could not be forced.<br /><br />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.</p>
<p>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 urged for a similar ban in Germany.<br /><br />"The burqa is a full-body prison that deeply threatens human rights," she told the Frankfurter Rundschau daily. "It would be an important signal for Germany to ban the burqa."<br /><br />A burqa ban in German should include schools, universities, and high-security zones such as banks and airports, the daily quoted her as saying Saturday.<br /><br />However, fellow party member Dieter Wiefelspütz rejected the suggestion.<br />"We have a different understanding of freedom than the French," he told the paper, adding that an enlightened Islam could not be forced.<br /><br />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.</p>
