MPs panel in Belgium approves banning burqa

President of the Francophone Liberal Party Daniel Bacquelaine, speaks with the Associated Press at the Belgian Federal Parliament in Brussels, on Wednesday. Photo: AP.

A parliamentary committee in Belgium has unanimously voted to ban the wearing of full face-covering veils in public, a major step in the country’s legislative process.

The full House of Representatives is now expected to vote on the issue late April.

The Interior Affairs Committee was unanimous on Wednesday in its backing of the bill.

The six parliamentarians from the MR French-speaking liberal party said the principle of “recognize to know” trumped other considerations in the issue.

The issue also is being debated in other European countries.

In France on Tuesday, the Council of State, the nation’s highest administrative body, warned that a prohibition on full-body Islamic veils in public risked being found unconstitutional.