Niqab ban in France

Recently, the French government passed a ban on Niqab's being worn in public in France. I believe this is mis-directed, based in Islamaphobia and French nationalism, and will most likely hurt women more than help. Although I have sincere personal misgivings about women wearing Niqabs and burqas, I also think this is playing politics with women's bodies (and clothes). My guess is that this ban will do nothing but force the few women who wear Niqabs, to stay home. So, what is the point of the French law anyway? Is it to empower women or preserve the picture of a white, primarily Catholic nation? Is the ban a mis-guided attempt at women's empowerment or based in something much more exclusionary?

What's your take? I am particularly interested in the opinions of Muslim women on PulseWire.

To view a recent video created as a protest against the ban, go to http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/8036686/French-women-cause-a-s....