The term "hijab" or facial coverings has sparked a lot of debate in recent times. From India's hijab controversy to death of Iran's Mahsa Amini's, the subject of facial coverings has generated a lot of fire. The Swiss government introduced a proposed law seeking a ban on these facial coverings to the parliament on October 12.
According to the proposed regulation, offenders of the Swiss government's ban on facial coverings could face fines of up to 1,000 Swiss francs (around Rs 81,000). The facial covering has been described as a symbol of political Islam's extremeness by those who support the ban.
The right-wing Swiss People's Party members who constitute the Egerkinger Komitee, which claims to organise "resistance against the claims to power of political Islam in Switzerland," are behind the effort to outlaw face coverings.
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The proposed legislation comes after a vote to outlaw facial coverings in 2021. Following talks, the cabinet backed down from earlier requests to add the prohibition to the criminal code and levy fines of up to $10,000 (more than Rs 8 lakh) on offenders.
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The bill forbids people from covering their faces in public places, such as on public transportation, at restaurants, or when walking along the street, and defines that the eyes, nose, and mouth must be exposed. There has been no specific mention of burqas or niqabs.
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Additionally, the proposal had a number of legal exemptions. The prohibition might not apply to aircraft, diplomatic facilities, or places of worship. Previously, Muslim organisations have denounced the ban. As per Aljazeera, the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Switzerland stated, "Anchoring dress codes in the constitution is not a liberation struggle for women but a step back into the past," adding that Swiss ideals of neutrality, tolerance, and peacemaking had been compromised in the discussion.
One of the five nations that forbid facial coverings is Switzerland. While Denmark, Austria, the Netherlands, and Bulgaria have complete or partial restrictions on facial coverings in public, France outlawed the wearing of a full-face veil in public in 2011. According to Amnesty International, the face veil ban is "a harmful policy that breaches women's rights, particularly freedom of speech and religion."
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