On Wednesday, the Swiss government sent a draft law to parliament seeking to levy fines up to $1000 (Rs 83,000) from people who violate the national ban on face veils in an effort to implement the ‘Burqa ban’ in Switzerland.
Notably, the proposal to ban face veiling in public was passed in a referendum last year. The right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) members who constitute the Egerkinger Komitee, which claims to organize “resistance against the claims to power of political Islam in Switzerland”, are behind the initiative to outlaw face veils.
Contending that “free people show their faces” and “the burqa and niqab are not normal clothes,” the group amassed the necessary 100,000 petition signatures in 2017 to push a referendum on the issue. 51.2% of Swiss voters approved the proposed ban.
The draft law, which was sent on October 12, comes after a 2021 referendum on banning face coverings. Following deliberation, the cabinet softened earlier demands to include the ban in the criminal code and impose fines of up to $10,000 on violators.
Despite the fact that the cabinet’s proposed sanctions did not directly mention Islam and also aimed to prevent violent street protesters from donning masks, local MPs, the media, and activists refer to the measure as the “burqa ban.” According to a formal statement, face coverings are prohibited in the community to maintain peace and safety, while punishment is not the main focus.
A number of legitimate exceptions were also included in the draft. Aircraft, diplomatic locations, and religious sites may all be exempt from the ban. Health, safety, climatic, and regional customs coverages would remain in effect. It would not apply to commercials or artistic acts.
Except for Switzerland, facial coverings are outlawed in France, which made wearing a full-face veil in public illegal in 2011. In Denmark, Austria, Bulgaria, and the Netherlands, facial coverings are either completely or partially banned.
Muslims make up about 5% of the Swiss population, with the majority having roots in Turkey, Bosnia, and Kosovo.
Egerkinger Komitee
The Egerkinger Komitee proposed a ban on minarets in 2009 on the grounds that they are a manifestation of political Islam. Despite the opposition of domestic Muslim organisations, it was approved by 57.5 percent of Swiss voters.
The SVP first sought to outlaw full-face coverings through a parliamentary initiative to amend the Federal Constitution in December 2014, claiming that burqas pose a threat to national security. However, in March 2017, the Swiss Council of States rejected it.