A WOMAN ripped an Islamic veil off the face of a fellow shopper

A WOMAN ripped an Islamic veil off the face of a fellow shopper in Europe's first known case of BURKA rage.

Both were arrested after the lawyer compared the Muslim woman to a DEMON and the face-off descended into a scrap at a French clothes store.

Racial tensions have been growing as France — home to 5,000,000 Muslims — prepares to introduce an outright ban on wearing the burka in public.

While in the shop on Saturday afternoon the woman said the ban couldn't come soon enough.

A police source said: "The lawyer said she was not happy seeing a fellow shopper wearing a veil and wanted the ban introduced as soon as possible."

The 26-year-old Muslim convert was in the store in Trignac, near Nantes, in the western Loire-Atlantique region, when she overheard the lawyer, 60, making snide remarks about her headwear.

The lawyer is believed to have linked her appearance to Belphegor, a demon thought to haunt the Louvre museum in Paris where he frequently hides his hideous features behind a mask.

As their shouting match descended into a full-blown brawl the lawyer's daughter joined in.

The police officer added: "The shop manager and the husband of the Muslim woman moved to break up the fighting.

"All three were arrested and taken to the local gendarmerie for questioning."

The warring parties have accused each other of offences — the Muslim of common assault and the lawyer of racial and religious assault.

It comes as the French parliament is set to consider a motion which describes burkas as an "affront to the nation's values".

The image of the burka in French society hasn't been helped by terrorists and criminals who some accuse of using the veil as a disguise.

A ban — which includes all religious forms of dress covering the face — is personally endorsed by French president Nicolas Sarkozy.

It could be brought in as early as the autumn making France the second country to do it behind Belgium.

Breaching the law could earn Muslim men, widely thought to often force their wives to wear the burka, a year in prison or a fine of up to £14,000.

Women would get a smaller fine of around £100 because they are often seen as victims with no choice in what they wear.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2977400/First-case-of-burka-rage.html#ixzz0oL25Fh6G