The French Senate has voted to ban the burqa in public places. Similar laws are being considered in Belgium, Spain and Italy. President Sarkozy said in Parliament "We cannot accept that in our country some women will be imprisoned behind a fence cut off from all social life, deprived of identity. This is not a principle that the French republic has about women's dignity." In Australia, a recent decision by a judge to have a witness remove her face veil has sparked controversy and recent polls show that the majority of Australians support a ban. But what exactly is driving the ban?