Swiss parliament votes to ban burqa in public

Rasa - The Swiss parliament voted to ban Muslim women from wearing the body covering garment burqa in public on Tuesday, only a few days after a right wing politician proposed to ban the Muslim headscarf on ID and passport photos.

News ID: 423947

Date: 28 September 2016 - 17:58

RNA - The lower house of parliament narrowly backed a ban on face veils, echoing Islamophobic moves by neighbouring France and other European nations.

The law states that no person will be allowed to cover his/her face in public or hide in the public domain or the provision of public services (excluding sacred sites).

The plan by right-wing politician Walter Wobmann - who led a campaign to outlaw new minarets in 2009 - still has to pass through the upper house and the government before it becomes law.

But it joins a list of measures championed by populist and right-wing movements that have polarised the Alpine nation, and drawn some criticism from abroad, including most recently a referendum ordering curbs on immigration from the EU.

Wobmann, from the anti-immigration Swiss People's Party, has said the veil ban will preserve Swiss culture. He is also pushing for a referendum on the issue.

His party, the most powerful in Swiss parliament after winning about 30 percent of seats in a 2015 election, pushed the measure through with help from lawmakers from the center-right.

It may have a tougher time passing the upper house, where parties that opposed the ban, including the Social Democrats, have a stronger presence.

A poll in August found that 71 percent of Swiss favour a nationwide burqa ban along the lines of one that went into effect in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino this year, covering locals and visitors alike.

About five percent of Swiss residents are Muslim.

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