Should this be illegal? Joel Saget, AFP/Getty Images

Watch out, fellas.

France's battle against the burqa is heating up. And the new laws being proposed could result in men who force their wives to wear the Islamic veil being thrown in jail or hit with steep fines, according to the Daily Express.

As we've previously reported, the country is set to follow Belgium's lead by banning the controversial garment in public, with a vote scheduled for July.

Now, news of strict new penalties that the French government is reportedly considering has been leaked to the country's Le Figaro paper, the Daily Express reports.

While a ban would levy fines of around 130 euros (or roughly $172) on women caught wearing burqas in public, men who demand that the burqa be worn could face harsher punishments under the grounds of "incitement to cover the face for reasons of gender," according to the paper.

Under the proposed laws, pro-burqa men could reportedly spend a year in jail or have to pay a steep £13,000 (about $20,000) fine.

The law would apply to Muslim citizens as well as visitors to France.

"We will seek dreadful revenge on France by all means at our disposal, for the honor of our daughters and sisters," an angry Al-Qaeda has reportedly responded on an extremist Web site.

In our poll last week, StyleList readers seemed evenly split as to whether they considered a burqa ban fair, or a violation of personal freedom.

Now we want to know, is it right to punish men more than women who actually wear the garment? Leave a comment.

Meanwhile, learn more about Belgium's burqa ban.