Bern: There are signs of big change in Switzerland amidst the protests in Iran against the hijab. The Swiss government has now prepared a proposal for a fine to cover one’s face under the ‘Burqa Ban’ law. The amount of the fine has been fixed at 900 pounds i.e. around 82 thousand rupees. At present, the government has prepared a draft and sent it to the Parliament for approval. However, many concessions have also been given in this, such as the ban on covering the face in political complexes, places of worship, and flights will not apply. Apart from this, face coverings will be considered valid for reasons related to health, safety, climatic conditions, and local customs. The exemption has also been given to the display of art and advertising.
The Swiss government claims that under the law, the wearing of masks will be allowed using the approval of the authorities and the fundamental right of freedom of expression. It is known that in Switzerland last year a resolution to ban face coverings in public places was passed. This proposal has been prepared by the same group which had prepared the proposal to ban Islamic minarets.
No mention of ‘burqa’ in the draft!
According to the information, there is no mention of the burqa directly in Fine’s cabinet proposal on covering the face. If reports are to be believed, the decision is aimed at preventing violent protesters from wearing masks, but local politicians and the media have dubbed it a ‘burqa ban’. In a statement, the cabinet said that the purpose of the ban on face coverings is to maintain public safety and order. According to a report in DailyMail, supporters of the ban say that ‘covering of the face is a symbol of radicalism’.
However, Muslim groups have called it discrimination. According to the information, the ban on completely covering the face in public places was first imposed by France on 11 April 2011. However, Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands, and Bulgaria have similar laws.
