Georgia lawmaker withdraws bill to ban burqas

State Rep Jason Spencer says his reason for withdrawing the bill was "the visceral reaction"

A Georgian lawmaker has said he will drop a new bill introduced to prohibit Muslim women from wearing burqas while driving or when their driving license pictures are taken.

Although the bill says driving licenses should not be issued to any person if his or her face is concealed, State Rep. Jason Spencer said his reason for withdrawing the bill was "the visceral reaction".



"While this bill does not contain language that specifically targets any group, I am mindful of the perception that it has created. My objective was to address radical elements that could pose a threat to public safety," wrote Spencer on his official Facebook Page.

Critics believe that the bill would have accelerated discrimination against Muslim women.



According to Spencer, the bill would have been able to "withstand legal scrutiny, but not political scrutiny.” As a result, the decision to withdraw the bill was undertaken.

This article originally appeared on CNN