Children: Switzerland on Sunday (local time) carefully voted in favor of banning full face covering, including the niqab and burka in almost all public places. Up to 51.21 percent of voters voted for the controversial proposal in the referendum.
According to CNN, voter approval means that face-covering will be banned in all publicly accessible places, including on the street, in public offices, on public transportation, in restaurants, shops and in the countryside.
The places where full face covering will be allowed include places of worship and other holy places. In addition, it will be allowed for health and safety reasons, and also in situations where it is a ‘local use’, such as carnivals.
According to the proposal of the Swiss federal government, there will be no additional exceptions, for example for tourists.
According to CNN, the proposal, proposed by various groups, including the right-wing Swiss People’s Party, does not specifically refer to Islam, but is widely referred to in the Swiss media as the “burka ban”.
The proposal has been widely criticized, particularly by Swiss religious organizations, human rights and civil society groups, and the federal government.
According to the Swiss Council of Religions, which represents all major religious communities in Switzerland, man’s right to religious freedom also protected religious practices such as dress.
The Swiss Federal Council, which serves as the federal government of the country, and the Swiss parliament also reject the initiative as too far-fetched and urge people to vote against it, CNN reports.
France was the first country in Europe to ban burkas and niqabs in public places in 2011 and the European Court of Human Rights upheld the ban in 2014.
In Switzerland, the referendum took place after years of debates. Twelve years ago, another referendum came banning the construction of minarets in Switzerland.
Source: Telangana Today