/ Source: The Associated Press
An Italian parliamentary commission has approved a draft law banning women from wearing veils that cover their faces in public.
The draft passed by the constitutional affairs commission Tuesday would prohibit women from wearing a burqa, niqab or any other garb that covers the face in public.
The news agency ANSA said third parties who force women to cover their faces in public would be fined €30,000 and face up to 12 months in jail.
The law was sponsored by Souad Sbai, a Moroccan-born member of Premier Silvio Berlusconi's conservative Freedom People party. ANSA said the opposition voted against the law.
The draft will be forwarded to parliament after the summer recess.