A Georgia state representative has pulled a bill that would have prohibited women from wearing burqas and other traditional Muslim veils in public.
{mosads}State Rep. Jason Spencer (R) decided to withdraw the bill on Thursday, just a day after introducing it in the state’s pre-file period, according to local news reports.
Spencer filed legislation on Wednesday that would prevent women from posing for driver’s license photos while wearing a veil, even though current state policy already prohibits face coverings in official photos. The measure also would have added burqas to a law that makes it a misdemeanor to wear a face covering in public or while driving.
The bill would have added language about face coverings to a state statute originally meant to prevent Ku Klux Klan activity. Existing state law makes it a misdemeanor to wear masks, hoods or face coverings intended to conceal one’s identity.
Several states prohibit women from wearing face coverings in license and identification photos, including Georgia. Spencer’s bill would have gone further in preventing women from wearing head coverings while driving or while walking down a public sidewalk.
France and Belgium are the only two nations in the world that have banned burqas and similar coverings altogether. Local governments in Italy, Spain and Switzerland have also instituted bans, many of which have been challenged in court.