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Switzerland bans the burqa and appearing in public with a covered face will soon be sanctioned by law. This was established by a referendum held today in the Swiss Confederation and which, with a net but not very clear result, prohibits the use of the full Islamic veil. The popular “sentence” arises from a game of fate on the eve of March 8, Women’s Day. The bill, promoted by the parties of the nationalist right, was approved with 51.2% of the consensus and in 20 of the 26 cantons: in popular consultations this double affirmation is always necessary for the result to be valid. In this way, the line expressed by the Government and Parliament, which had invited to reject the initiative, is rejected. With today’s vote, Bern aligns itself with other European states (eg France and Austria) that already ban the burqa in public.
In Ticino, membership registration
When the scrutiny of the ballots is about to be completed, the result appears decisive: the front of those who oppose the use of the burqa (but also the niqab, which is the garment that only leaves the eyes uncovered) arises in a fairly fair way . Uniform vote that has had its whore massina in the Ticino canton (60.5%) where a regional law already prohibits Muslim women from wearing the full veil in public, and the lowest percentage in Basel (40.6).
“Symbol of submission”
The title of the popular consultation did not refer explicitly to religious motives (the exact definition was “against concealment of the face”) but during the electoral campaign the promoters did not hide that this was the true engine of the initiative. In his opinion, the burqa is a symbol of the submission of women incompatible with constitutional values, civil coexistence, legal security and gender equality. Hence the formulation of the proposal, which in its original text also includes some exceptions: the face can remain hidden for reasons of safety, health or on the occasion of Carnival.
The reasons for no
As mentioned, the government and parliament had said that they were opposed to this law: given the low number of women who adhere to this practice, they consider it excessive. Consequently, the indication was to delegate the bans to the individual cantons. A national taxation, according to federal institutions, would have damaged tourism and increased the isolation of women forced to appear in public with their faces covered.
He not even to the minarets
Today’s referendum is the second to affect the practice of Islam in Switzerland: in November 2009, another popular consultation had introduced a ban on the construction of minarets by law. The yes ones had exceeded 57% of the voters. Then as today it was an initiative with a more symbolic than substantial value: in Switzerland there are currently only three minarets, which have remained in place after the response of that vote.
March 7, 2021 (change March 7, 2021 | 18:37)
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