Swiss Lawmakers Move Towards Banning Face Veils

Lawmakers in Switzerland have inched closer to imposing a nationwide ban on face veils, a pointed gesture against the burqas worn by their Muslim minority.

On Sept. 27, the lower house of Swiss parliament narrowly passed the ban by a vote of 88 to 87. The proposal would have to pass higher chambers of the government to become law and is expected to become a national referendum.

The ban was proposed by Walter Wobmann of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP). Wobmann is known for his anti-immigration stance and was successful in pushing a 2009 ban on the construction of mosque minarets in Switzerland.

“Veils are an attack on integration in a free society,” Wobmann said, according to The Independent. “The ban of religiously motivated coverings in public is proportionate and violates neither freedom of religion nor expression. It does not constitute discrimination.”

If made into law, the proposal would ban face veils being worn in public places, excluding religious sites.

Wobmann has been pushing for the ban to become a public vote. If a petition that has been circulated acquires 100,000 signatures, the proposal will become a referendum. An August poll found that 71 percent of Swiss citizens are in favor of the ban, according to Al Jazeera.

The Swiss parliament is expected to stall on the proposal, leaving the decision to a public vote.

Roughly 5 percent of Switzerland’s 8.3 million population is Muslim. Of the country’s 350,000 Muslim residents, few actually wear burqas.

Controversies over Switzerland’s Muslim minority have cropped up recently as citizens have struggled to integrate into the European society.

In one high-profile case, Muslim boys were threatened with fines because they refused to shake the hands of their female teachers. Two young Muslim girls who declined to partake in swimming lessons with male peers were denied citizenship.

Belgium and France already enforce bans on burqas. Meanwhile, Germany and the Netherlands are also considering placing bans on face veils in public.

Wobmann has also been pushing for a ban on hijabs being worn in Swiss passport photographs. Hijabs are religious head-scarves that do not conceal the face, according to CNN.

“It is unacceptable that you can wear a hijab in a photo but not a cap,” Wobmann said. “This is not a question of religious freedom but of equal treatment.”

Sources: Al Jazeera, CNN, The Independent / Photo Credit: Hate Crime Fix on ITV Central/Flickr