Covering one's face — with a veil or a motorcycle helmet — in public has been banned in Italy since Italian police fined a Muslim woman for wearing a full Islamic veil in a street in the northern city of Novara. It was possibly the first such incident in Italy, city officials said. In the north-eastern region of Lombardy outright outlawed the burka and niqab from public offices and hospitals. France was the first European country to blatantly ban the burka and niqab in public places when, in , it was made illegal for women to leave their homes wearing a face covering.
Earlier this year, coastal French towns banned the body-covering burkini swimwear — a move that was defended by the French Government. Sisco on the island of Corsica , and the Rivera towns of Cannes and Villeneuve-Loubet implemented the ban in the aim to "protect the population" after several clashes between Muslims and non-Muslims.
France's highest administrative court suspended the bans saying they constituted a "serious and clearly illegal violation of fundamental freedoms". The nearby town of Nice then implemented its own ban, following the July 14 terror attack on the city that gained worldwide attention.
The ban was eventually suspended for defying the ruling by the country's top court. Following France's decision, Belgium then banned women from wearing the burka and niqab in public areas. The country's law-makers dubbed the veil a threat to secular society and outlawed the full face veil in The Dutch cabinet approved a partial ban on wearing the burka in The bill prohibited women wearing it in public places including schools, hospitals and on public transport.
Dutch Muslims are allowed to wear the burka on the street. The ban only applies "in specific situations where it is essential for people to be seen".
Before Chancellor Merkel's announcement to a partial ban on the burka, German government conservatives agreed in August this year to make it a legal requirement for a person to show their face in places "where it is necessary for the cohesion of our society".
At the time, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said women should be forced to show their face while driving, when they register with authorities, in schools, universities, in public office and in court. Echoing western European countries, Bulgaria's parliament banned face veils in October this year.
The "burka ban" law was driven by the nationalist Patriotic Front coalition. The ruling centre-right party said the move aimed to boost national security and ensure better surveillance. The Republic of Chad in northern Central Africa implemented a ban following two terrorist attacks by Nigerian militant Islamist group Boko Haram that killed 20 in Chad security forces were reportedly ordered to burn all full-face veils sold in markets. The right to wear facial coverings is protected by the First Amendment in the Constitution that guarantees freedom of religion and expression.
She is seen here meeting refugees in Greece. Full-face veils have been illegal in Denmark since August 1, The Danish parliament validated the law in May 75 votes for and 30 against. Face veils have been banned in Austria since under a law known as the Law against Wearing Face Veils. The law requires people to show their facial features from chin to hairline. Like the Netherlands, Bulgaria introduced a burqa ban in There are some exceptions for people playing sport, at work or in a house of prayer.
Belgium has banned full-face veils in public since July Anyone who breaks the law risks a fine or up to seven days in jail. The ban affects a very small number of people. There are around people who wear a burqa or niqab in Belgium, which is home to around a million Muslims.
France was the first European country to ban anyone from wearing a full-face veil in public with a corresponding law in April To avoid allegations of discrimination, the law makes no explicit mention of religion and is rather vague. It states that "no one is allowed to wear clothing in public that allows them to cover their face.
Religious clothing has been banned in French schools since , including headscarves. Again, the number of people who wear headscarves in France is small. Only 2, of France's five million Muslims wear a full-face veil. Many other European countries have discussed, or are discussing, banning the full-face veil, including Germany, Switzerland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Norway. Parts of Spain have introduced local bans. Italy has not debated any such move. The country has had a general ban on clothes that mask the wearer's identity since the s.
Visit the new DW website Take a look at the beta version of dw. Ahead of the vote, Walter Wobmann, chairman of the referendum committee and an SVP lawmaker, described Muslim face coverings as "a symbol for this extreme, political Islam which has become increasingly prominent in Europe and which has no place in Switzerland".
That is a sign of our basic freedoms," he said. Amnesty International spoke out against the proposed ban, calling it "a dangerous policy that violates women's rights, including to freedom of expression and religion".
The wearing of Islamic veils in public has been a controversial topic in other European countries. France banned wearing a full face veil in public in while the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria and Bulgaria have put in place full or partial bans on wearing face coverings in public.
Swiss voters back ban on minarets. Why some Muslim women wear the veil. Denmark woman fined for wearing veil. Image source, EPA. Posters promoted by the Swiss People's Party featured a woman in a black niqab and captions such as "Stop extremism! The Islamic veil across Europe Denmark woman fined for wearing veil. Swiss voters give face covering ban a 'jein'.
This video can not be played To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Four Muslim women discuss their relationship with the veil. Related Topics. Islamic veils Switzerland.
0コメント