Hijab ban in Switzerland: violators may be fined

Becoming the second region to ban burqas in public places, St. Gallen voted to ban the burqa with a decisive margin on Sunday. Sixty-seven per cent of the voters supported the ban. Two years ago the southern canton of Ticino had passed a law to ban the burqa. To support the ban it is argued that the burqa symbolizes second-class status for women. Moreover, they are also considered to present a security risk in the age of violent terrorism.

As reported by The New American, the law in St. Gallen stipulates that “any person who renders themselves unrecognizable by covering their face in a public space, and thus endangers public security or social and religious peace will be fined.”

While activists who oppose the public wearing of the burqa have collected 100,000 signatures to force a national referendum in Switzerland, the Islamic Central Council, the largest Islamic organization in the mostly-German speaking republic, has recommended that Muslim women defy the law and continue to wear the body-covering garments.

However many oppose a national ban and suggest that the issue should be left up to the local canton to decide whether to ban the burqa.