Council on American-Islamic Relations

. He says that the French vote is a thinly-disguised attempt to discriminate against all Muslims, not just those who wear the burqa.

"It's really a new type of law targeting a particular minority faith based on the prejudices of the majority. And my religious rights should not be dependent on a majority vote,” said Hooper.

Security Concerns

David Aaron, a Senior Fellow with the

RAND Corporation

outside Washington who focuses on the Middle East and Counterterrorism, told VOA that the face-covering veils do pose a security threat in public places such as train stations or bus stops because they make identification impossible.

"I know there are many people who believe this simply a racist, anti-Islamic sort of provision,” Aaron said. “But I think that it is also a serious problem and it is a serious problem for the French and other Europeans who are accustomed to having identity documents. And if you are wearing a burqa, there's no way to check those identity documents,” he added.

Human Rights Issue?

John Dalhuisen is an

Amnesty International

expert on discrimination in Europe. He says that banning the full-face veil in public could lead to more restrictions on women's rights.

"I think there's definitely a risk that some of those who are currently being forced to wear veils won't necessarily see their situation improve,” said Dalhuisen.