Switzerland Proposes $1k Fines for Burqa Ban Violations

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Facts

  • New proposals could reportedly see fines of up to 1,000 Swiss francs (around $1,005) issued to anyone who violates restrictions on face coverings in Switzerland. Penalties for those who break the ban have already been diluted, after the cabinet refused calls to anchor the law in the criminal code.
  • A ban on all face coverings in public, including religious veils, was passed last year following a binding referendum on the issue. The so-called "burqa ban" received narrowly more support than opposition, and was brought by the same group that launched restrictions on new minarets in 2009.
  • According to the Swiss administration, "the ban on covering faces aims to ensure public safety and order. Punishment is not the priority." The administration has also suggested that aircraft settings, diplomatic premises, and places of worship all be made exempt from restrictions, while coverings for health or safety reasons, or linked to climatic conditions or local customs will also remain valid.
  • Authorities would also have to approve of, and receive assurance that face coverings worn during public protests to protect oneself will not result in public disorder, if the new law is passed.
  • The law, which comes after a ban on the donning of full-face veils in public introduced in France in 2011, was launched by a group known as Egerkinger Komitee, who claim to organize "resistance against the claims to power of political Islam in Switzerland."
  • Muslims make up just 5% of the 8.6M strong Swiss populace, though estimates from the University of Lucerne put the number of women who wear the niqab in Switzerland at just 30.

Sources: lbc, Euro News, Al Arabiya, and Al Jazeera.

Narratives

  • Progressive narrative, as provided by New Statesman. A number of European countries, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec, have adopted "secularist" laws that prohibit the wearing of religious symbols in public, including religious dress. Such laws reflect a homogenization of society and repression of the diverse experiences and motivations people have for expressing their religion through clothing, especially Muslim women. Denying them the ability to choose whether to wear a veil removes their autonomy and sense of self.
  • Conservative narrative, as provided by Spectator. Europe is the beacon of secular liberal democracy and, where public spaces are shared by such multicultural and diverse groups as make up many populations in European countries, rules about dress can and should be imposed to stop any one group from dominating another. Islamists thrive on the idea of Muslims being a society-within-a-society - governments must put a stop to such notions to prevent sectarian fractures.
  • Cynical narrative, as provided by Daily Sabah. This ban is Islamophobic and aimed at tackling a non-existent problem, as muslims are already well integrated in Swiss society. The right-wing are simply using the niqab to rally support and give the population something to project their fears onto.