Praying in Streets of Paris Is Now against the Law; Ban Could Later Be Extended to the Rest of France

The Telegraph (British) website reports that as of today (September 16, 2011) praying in the streets of Paris is against the law.

Claude Gueant -- France's interior minister -- warned that police will use force if Muslims or those of other faiths disobey the new rule to keep the French capital's public spaces secular.

Gueant said the ban could later be extended to the rest of France -- especially the Mediterranean cities of Nice and Marseilles -- where "the problem persists."

He promised the new legislation would be followed to the letter as it "hurts the sensitivities of many of our fellow citizens."