SWISS TO VOTE ON NIQAB, ‘BURQA BAN’ PROPOSAL

Sun 07 March 2021:

Switzerland is voting on Sunday on whether to ban “full facial coverings” in public places.

The vote comes after years of debate, following similar bans in other European countries, such as France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Some sections of Swiss society have termed the referendum as Islamophobic.

Red billboards picturing a scowling woman wearing a black headscarf and face veil with the phrase, “Stop Extremism!”, have appeared in Swiss streets as part of the campaign led by several parties in Switzerland, including the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP).

Switzerland operates a system of direct democracy that has allowed the vote to go ahead. Any topic can be put to a national vote as long as it gathers 100,000 signatures in the country of 8.6 million people. Polls indicate a slim majority supports the move.

The Swiss People’s Party — a populist, right-wing party that is the leading faction in parliament — has strongly backed the measure.

One of its campaign posters shows caricatured image of the scowling eyes of a woman in a niqab above the words: “Stop Islamic Radicalism.”

“This (niqab wearing) is something that we find shocking. It is fundamentally in opposition with various values of our civilisation, simply because, for us, free people show their faces in all circumstances outside,” said Jean-Luc Addor, an SVP member of parliament and head of the French-speaking branch of the referendum committee.

The proposal predates the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen all adults forced to don masks in many settings to prevent the spread of infection. It gathered the necessary support to trigger a referendum in 2017.

Buraq ban means nobody would be allowed to cover their face completely in public — whether in shops or the open countryside. There would be exceptions, including for places of worship.

The referendum does not mention Islam directly and also seeks to stop street brawls involving football fans wearing masks. However, local politicians, media and campaigners have started calling the referendum as being for a ‘burqa ban’.

The proposal compounds Switzerland’s tense relationship with Islam after citizens voted to ban building any new minarets in 2009. Two cantons already have local bans on face coverings.

“Besides being useless, this text [for the proposal] is racist and sexist,” said Ines El-Shikh, spokeswoman for the Purple Headscarves feminist Muslim women’s group.

She told news agency AFP that the proposed law created the impression of a problem, but “there are only 30 women in burqas in Switzerland.”

A 2019 Federal Statistical Office survey found that 5.5% of the Swiss population were Muslims, mostly with roots in the former Yugoslavia. Most of these would not choose to wear a full-face veil.

Meanwhile, Zurich police fired tear gas shells at feminist rally. As per reports, police had warned ahead of the planned protest rally against congregating. However, when demonstrators started congregating in different parts of the city the police used tear gas.

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