Paris: French Muslim Girl Jumps off Fourth Floor after Burqa Attack

A French Muslim girl tried committing suicide, after she was attacked by two men for wearing a veil. The attack happened earlier this month.

Following the attack by men with a box-cutter, the 16-year-old girl jumped out of the fourth floor window at her home in Trappes, Paris.

French newspaper Le Parisien reported that mystery still surrounds what drove her to such extremes due to the absence of a suicide note. It was believed she also tried unsuccessfully to kill herself last week by overdosing on pills.

The news of the latest attack has come just one month after a Parisian suburb saw hundreds of Muslim protesters clashing with police after they attempted to fine a woman for wearing a full Islamic veil.

A nationwide law forbidding wearing a burqa in public was enacted in 2011. Under the terms of the decree, anyone wearing the head-dress in public would be fined €150 or be forced to take lessons in French citizenship.

However, according to the legislation's guidelines, police are prohibited from asking women to remove their veil in public. They are to be escorted to a police station, where their identities are confirmed.

On 12 August, the girl told police that two "European looking" men approached her near Square Berlioz at around 5.45pm.

They allegedly hurled anti-Muslim and racist comments at her before ripping her veil off, pushing, and hitting her while attacking her with a box cutter.

"The first man started to touch my chest and then I managed to slap him, but then he punched me in the chest. He then took out a sharp object and started to cut my face with short, quick movements", the unidentified victim told The Huffington Post.

After leaving the teenager with superficial cuts to her face and neck, both men fled in a car.

An investigation into the matter is ongoing while the police tries to identify and arrest the offenders.

In 2011, President Nicolas Sarkozy defended the law by saying it was necessary to deny shoplifters and terrorists the chance to hide their identities and facial features. Nevertheless, the ban has been condemned by human rights groups such as Amnesty International, who called it a breach of the right to freedom of expression.