Henry
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The women were turned away at passport control in Charles de Gaulle airport on Monday for flouting France's controversial law banning anyone from hiding their faces in public.
A police official from the SGP-FO police union confirmed: "They refused to take their veils off, so they were turned away."
The Saudi nationals arrived at the Paris airport on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha at 2.30pm on Monday. The police official confirmed they had returned to Doha on Monday evening.
Nicolas Sarkozy's government instigated the law in April 2011 after the former French President described the burka as a "sign of debasement" whilst his immigration minister Eric Besson referred to it as "a walking coffin".
At the time, Sarkozy argued the ban was part of an effort to make France a more tolerant, inclusive society whilst preventing criminals from disguising their faces from security staff and CCTV.
However, Islamic rights campaigners have branded the ban "unconstitutional", saying that it persecutes moderate Muslims.
Women face a fine of up to 150 euros or enforced citizenship training if caught breaking the ban, whilst men who force women to wear the niqab or burka face a fine of 30,000 euros.
According to France's interior ministry, approximately 300 women were caught breaking the law during its first year in practice, however senior police officers have admitted that it is "unenforceable", and that "burka-chasing" is not high on police priority lists.
Similar bans have since been passed in Belgium and Holland and whilst there are no immediate plans to introduce one in Britain, the idea has been suggested by a number of politicians, including Conservative backbenchers.
Leaders of al-Qaeda's North African network have vowed to seek revenge if the law is ever enforced in France.
They wrote on an Islamic extremist website: "We will seek dreadful revenge on France by all means at our disposal, for the honour of our daughters and sisters."
Saudi women refused entry to France for refusing to take off burkas - Telegraph
Good Work by France. Even India should Ban this Crap.
A police official from the SGP-FO police union confirmed: "They refused to take their veils off, so they were turned away."
The Saudi nationals arrived at the Paris airport on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha at 2.30pm on Monday. The police official confirmed they had returned to Doha on Monday evening.
Nicolas Sarkozy's government instigated the law in April 2011 after the former French President described the burka as a "sign of debasement" whilst his immigration minister Eric Besson referred to it as "a walking coffin".
At the time, Sarkozy argued the ban was part of an effort to make France a more tolerant, inclusive society whilst preventing criminals from disguising their faces from security staff and CCTV.
However, Islamic rights campaigners have branded the ban "unconstitutional", saying that it persecutes moderate Muslims.
Women face a fine of up to 150 euros or enforced citizenship training if caught breaking the ban, whilst men who force women to wear the niqab or burka face a fine of 30,000 euros.
According to France's interior ministry, approximately 300 women were caught breaking the law during its first year in practice, however senior police officers have admitted that it is "unenforceable", and that "burka-chasing" is not high on police priority lists.
Similar bans have since been passed in Belgium and Holland and whilst there are no immediate plans to introduce one in Britain, the idea has been suggested by a number of politicians, including Conservative backbenchers.
Leaders of al-Qaeda's North African network have vowed to seek revenge if the law is ever enforced in France.
They wrote on an Islamic extremist website: "We will seek dreadful revenge on France by all means at our disposal, for the honour of our daughters and sisters."
Saudi women refused entry to France for refusing to take off burkas - Telegraph
Good Work by France. Even India should Ban this Crap.
India below Saudi
