Image: The National News
Faizel Patel – 03/03/2021
The far right Swiss Peoples Party is campaigning to ban face coverings in public and the matter will be voted on in a binding national referendum on Sunday.
Reuters reports that opinion polls suggest most Swiss will back it and the ban will become law.
The proposal predates the COVID-19 pandemic which has seen all adults forced to wear masks in many settings to prevent the spread of the virus.
The proposal gathered the necessary support to trigger a referendum in 2017.
Although it does not mention Islam directly, it aims to stop violent protestors and football hooligans wearing masks.
However, politicians, media and campaigners have dubbed it the “burkah ban”.
France banned wearing a full face veil in public in 2011 and Denmark, Austria the Netherlands and Bulgaria have full or partial bans on wearing face coverings in public.
The University of Lucerne estimates that one in Switzerland wears a burqa and only around 30 women wear the niqab.
Muslims make up 5.2% of the Swiss population of 8.6 million people, with most having their roots in Turkey, Bosnia and Kosovo.
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