French Woman Fined for Attacking a Muslim Woman

Al-Manar – 05/11/2010

A French court has sentenced a retired female teacher to one month in jail for attacking a Muslim woman in a shop for wearing the burka, a face-covering Islamic veil.

The court ruled Thursday the defendant’s “violent behavior reveals an intolerance of others that defies explanation and denies cohabitation and dialogue between people who have different ways of life or opposing beliefs,” Gulfnews.com reported.

The victim of the attack was a 26-year-old United Arab Emirates tourist who was shopping at a luxury Paris boutique last February.

The defendant, 63-year-old Jeanne Ruby, assaulted her by trying to pull off her burka and then proceeded to hit, scratch and bite her.

Ruby was charged with “aggravated violence” and was slapped with a one-month suspended jail sentence, as well as being forced to pay 800 Euros (USD 1,140) in damages to the victim.

“I knew that I was going to crack one day. This burka story was beginning to annoy me,” the defendant told police.

The ruling comes just days after France approved a bill banning the face covering, with punishment of up to 150 Euros (USD 189) in fines or having to go to a “citizenship” class, Reuters reported.

The burka ban will take effect after a six-month period in order to inform veiled women about the law.

France has an estimated Muslim population of six million, the largest community in Western Europe. It is believed that approximately 2,000 women wear a full face veil there.