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The Swiss are voting on a popular proposal entitled “Yes, to ban all covers.” Although it is rare to see veiled Muslim women on Swiss streets, opinion polls indicate that a small majority support this step.
The initiative did not explicitly refer to the burqa or niqab that covers the entire face except the eyes, but there is no question as to what the proposal addresses.
And around several Swiss cities, campaign posters reading “Stop Radical Islam” and “Stop Extremism” have been spread, accompanied by a photo of a woman wearing a black veil in return.
The bill proposes to prohibit covering the entire face in public, whether in stores or in other open places. With the exception of places of worship, or when there are reasons related to health or safety, or for reasons of climate or local traditions.
“It is a question of attending. Free men and women are presented with their faces uncovered,” Jean-Luc Ador, a campaign spokesman for the populist Swiss People’s Party, told AFP. “This is an extreme form of Islam,” he added.
Ador acknowledged that “fortunately there are not many” who wear burqas in Switzerland, but noted, “when there is a problem we solve it before it gets out of control.”
The ban campaign continues to lead opinion polls, but its comfortable lead in January narrowed sharply in February polls. The government and parliament oppose imposing a nationwide ban and consider it unnecessary, as veiled women are often tourists.
A 2019 Federal Statistical Office survey revealed that Muslims make up 5.5 percent of the country’s population, the majority of whom are descended from the former Yugoslavia.
In return, the government launched an indirect counter-project that stipulates that everyone must reveal their face to the authorities when necessary to verify their identity, for example at the border. The counterproject will come into force in the event that the popular initiative is rejected.
A fine of up to 10,000 Swiss francs ($ 10,900) can be imposed on anyone who refuses to comply by having their face exposed.
France was the first European country to ban the niqab in public places with the enactment of the 2010 law that prohibits hiding the face in public places. France also prohibits public school female students from wearing posters or clothing showing “an apparent religious affiliation” under the 2004 law, including the hijab, but this prohibition does not apply to universities, and female employees must dress completely neutral. ..
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