The Doha Debates will launch its seventh series today with a discussion on the French government’s controversial ban on the face veil. The debate, which takes place at Qatar Foundation Headquarters at 7.30pm, will argue the motion that “This House believes France is right to ban the face veil”. Speaking for the motion is Jacques Myard, a member of the ruling conservative UMP coalition in the French national assembly. He is Mayor of Maisons-Laffitte, a member of the French Foreign Affairs Committee and was the co-chair of the cross-party parliamentary committee set up to investigate the prevalence of the full face veil in France. Joining him is Farzana Hassan, a writer and women’s rights activist. She has authored a number of articles and books examining the Islamic faith in modern society and is a member and former president of The Muslim Canadian Congress. Against the motion is Mehdi Hasan, the Senior Political Editor of the UK publication the NewStatesman. He commissioned the film, ‘It Shouldn’t Happen to a Muslim’ for Channel 4’s investigative journalism strand, Dispatches, which addressed the issue of rising Islamophobia since 7/7. He is joined by Nabila Ramdani, an academic and journalist. She has held teaching positions at Oxford University and Paris 7 University and is a columnist for The Guardian in the UK, and has worked with Le Figaro, The National and Gulf News. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/128783-french-veil-ban-taken-up-at-doha-debates-today.html

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