Switzerland has nearly picked for restricting face covers openly, including the burka or niqab worn by Muslim ladies. Official outcomes showed individuals have passed Sunday’s Referendum by 51.2% to 48.8%. The problem of the ban doesn’t mention Muslim veils. Stating only that “no one is allowed to cover their face in public, nor areas open to the public or in areas where services are generally open to all”.
It isn’t the first time a referendum is carried out including Islam in it. In 2009 citizens went against government advice and voted to ban the building of minarets. A proposal also put forward by the SVP which said minarets were an indication of Islamisation.
The proposal was advanced by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) which campaigned with slogans such as “Stop extremism”. Condemn by a leading Swiss Islamic group who said it was “a dark day” for Muslims.
The Central Council of Muslims expressed that “The present decision opens old injuries, further extends the standard of lawful disparity. And imparts an obvious indicator of prohibition to the Muslim minority.” Further adding that it would challenge the judgment in court.
According to the report published by the University of Lucerne situated in Germany, nobody in Switzerland wears a burka. And just around 30 women wear the niqab. Around 5% of Switzerland’s population of 8.6 million individuals are Muslim, most starting from Turkey, Bosnia, and Kosovo.
Understanding the proposal
As indicated by the proposal, full-face covers are restricted from public spots including roads, public workplaces, public vehicles, cafes, and shops. However, the prohibition not applicable to “places of worship” and where there are “health reasons” for that.
The referendum was made after a debate in Switzerland following similar bans in other European countries. Where women rarely wear full-face veils.
The proposed initiative, however, is largely seen as targeting minority Muslim women living in Switzerland. And wearing niqabs (a veil covering the lower half of the face), burqas (covering both body and face), and other face-covering garments.
Other European Countries that have banned burqa
- Netherlands
- France
- Austria
- Belgium
- Germany
- Denmark
There are currently 16 nations that have banned the burqa, including Tunisia, Austria, Denmark, France, Belgium, Tajikistan, Latvia, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Netherlands, China, Morocco.
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