Tuesday 12 April 2011

News and Updates 12th of April

France bans the Islamic veil

France is the first country to ban the Islamic veil. Starting the 11 April 2011. The law, which entered into effect on Monday 11 April 2011, makes it against the law for women to publicly wear the veil. Failure to obey the law can lead to a fine of approximately £135 (€150). Those who force Muslim women to wear the veil are likely to risk a €30,000 fine and a prison sentence for up to two years. Two women who were part of a protest outside Notre Dame were arrested yesterday.


My opinion

France, ‘Etat laïque’. France is a laic (= secular) state where no one has the right to exhibit his or her religious appartenance. As a Christian, I am not allowed to wear a big cross, as it is against the law. However, my religion is more permissive than Islam. Nevertheless, in my opinion, the ban on the Islamic veil could be seen as a  move towards social cohesion. A veil (especially the burqua) puts a barrier between the person who wears it and a person who would like to approach the Muslim woman. Lack of social interaction leads to social exclusion. We have seen that multiculturalism is hard (almost unlikely) to trigger social inclusion and integration. Maybe assimilation could be the answer?



Migration as a ping-pong tactic

What is happening with Tunisian migrants who make it to Italy, in Lampedusa? They want to go to France where most of their families are settled and where the language is not a problem. They want to get to Lyon, Marseille, Paris, or even Brussels. The city at the French border is Vintimille, a place where the Red Cross is waiting for them to take them to a centre where they can get washed, eat and get some new clothes. However, at the French border, the French police is present and sends the Tunisians back to Italy.


My opinion

We have seen that there is no common EU policy on asylum. All member states involved in the process are individualistic and on send to another country those who only want to survive the civil unrest from their home countries. The European Commission was a bit naïve when it stated that the social unrest would force the 27 member states to show some solidarity. The lack of solidarity is shown by the disputes between France and Italy concerning the visas.




UK: Abolition of the Certificate of Approval

At present, any non-EU immigrant needs a Certificate of Approval before getting married in the UK. This scheme will be abolished on 9 May 2011. After that date, the Church will have to give a licence to the couple willing to get married. The Church is allowed by the UKBA to refuse to marry a couple who is likely to be ‘bogus’.


My opinion

Sham marriages are a big problem in the UK. I read something about a sham marriage which took place at least once a week. It has to be tackled. But what is interested here is the way it is dealt with. It seems to me that the UKBA has enough of talking the issue and is putting the whole burden on the church. This shows two things:
-         the Church is to be converted into Police
-         the relation between Church and Politics are


Facts

UK: Changes to settlement rules

The rules for settlement changed on 6 April 2011. The changes are:
-         a new criminality threshold.  Applicants must now be clear of unspent convictions when they apply for settlement.
-         A new income requirement
-         Reform of the English language requirement. Migrants in Tier 1, Tier 2 and their precursor routes must now pass the Life in the UK test rather than an ESOL with citizenship course.
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 Author: Claudia Paraschivescu claudia.paraschivescu@gmail.com