It is a discussion that has been going on in many European countries in recent years: should there be a ban on wearing face-covering clothing? The Netherlands came up with an answer in 2019: a partial ban.
No fines
That partial ban meant that the wearing of such clothing was banned in public places, such as in education, healthcare and public transport. It is still allowed on the street. Last October it was announced that a year of burka ban had not resulted in a single fine.
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Nevertheless, the discussion still seems to be alive. Many voting guides for the coming elections to the House of Representatives contain a statement about whether or not to abolish the ban. By the way, this is not literally a burka ban, but clothing covering the face in general. So also balaclavas for example.
“Stop Extremism!”
This also applies to Switzerland. Although the bill seems to be intended against Islam. The initiative comes from the right-wing populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP). Campaign posters of the party depict a woman in a niqab with the text: “Stop extremism!”
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“Face-covering clothing is a symbol of the extremist, political Islam that is increasingly visible in Europe. It does not belong in Switzerland,” said SVP politician Walter Wobmann. “In Switzerland we have a habit of showing your face. That is freedom.”
Fight problem
“If there is a problem, we like to fight it before it gets out of hand,” said another SVP politician. “Fortunately, few women in Switzerland wear a burqa.”
Research from the University of Lucerne shows that only about 30 women in Switzerland wear face-covering clothing. About 5 percent of the Swiss population is Muslim, most of them from Turkey, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo.
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An Islamic council in the Alpine country calls it a ‘black day’ for Muslims. “This increases inequality and confirms the exclusion of the Muslim minority.”
The government and a majority in parliament were also against a ban. The government did not consider it its job to decide what women should or should not wear. So they suggested that people should be forced to show their faces if needed for identification, rather than a total ban.
Direct democracy
You may wonder why it was voted on at all, if a majority of parliament was against it. This is due to the direct democracy in Switzerland. As long as 100,000 of the 8.6 million Swiss people sign a potential subject for a referendum, the referendum will actually take place. The result is binding.
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The Swiss therefore go to the polls very often. Such referendums often take place 3 to 4 times a year. In 2009, residents voted to ban the building of minarets near mosques, also a proposal from the SVP. The Swiss also repeatedly stated through referendums that they were against membership of the European Union.
Switzerland continues
The ban on face-covering clothing goes a little further in Switzerland than in the Netherlands. Burqas, niqabs and balaclavas are also prohibited on the street.
This means that the country is in line with the complete ban in countries such as Belgium and France. But there are also countries where there are only regional rules. This is an overview of Europe:
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Wearing face-covering clothing at places of worship in Switzerland is still permitted.
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