A number of other European countries have already implemented similar prohibitions.
LONDON – Voters in Switzerland have carefully approved a controversial proposal to ban full coverage in public.
A national referendum on the proposed measure was held on Sunday and 51.21% of voters supported it, according to preliminary results announced by the Swiss Federal Council, which serves as the country’s federal government.
The measure would make it illegal for people in Switzerland to completely cover their faces in restaurants, shops, sports stadiums, public transport and even on the street. The ban includes burkas and niqabs, worn by Muslim women, as well as ski masks and bandanas, often worn by protesters. There will be exceptions for religious sites, such as mosques, for ‘indigenous customs’, such as the Swiss traditional carnival celebrations, and for health reasons, such as face masks to protect against COVID-19.
Swiss lawmakers now have two years to draft detailed legislation to introduce the nationwide ban.
Switzerland joins a growing list of other European countries, including Belgium, Denmark and France, which have implemented similar bans.
The proposal was launched in 2016 by the Egerkingen Committee, which consists of numerous members of the right-wing nationalist Swiss People’s Party. The same group also introduced a nationwide ban on building new minaret towers in mosques that voters approved in 2009.
The Swiss federal government opposed the measure, arguing that full face covering is not a problem in the country and that such a law would harm tourism.
Meanwhile, rights groups have criticized the ban as discriminatory and dangerous. About 5.5% of Switzerland’s 8.5 million people are Muslim, according to the latest figures released by the Swiss Federal Bureau of Statistics.
“Following the vote to ban minarets, Swiss voters have once again endorsed an initiative that discriminates against one religious community in particular, unnecessarily inciting division and fear,” Cyrielle Huguenot, head of women’s rights at Amnesty International’s Swiss office, said on Sunday. said a statement. . “The ban on the veil cannot be seen as a measure that liberates women. On the contrary, it is a dangerous and symbolic policy that violates the rights to freedom of expression and religion.”
“We call on the elected politicians and the government to unequivocally support the fundamental rights of religious minorities in the country and to commit them to peaceful coexistence. The authorities must act to ensure that the ban on the full veil “The authorities must now strengthen the measures to protect women who have real violence and discrimination in Switzerland, regardless of their religion and origin,” he added.
ABC News’s Christine Theodorou contributed to the report.