Women in many parts of the Middle East are prohibited from being seen without their all-black burqua outfit on. The reverse is true in at least one canton in Switzerland: Muslim women will no longer be allowed to wear their full-body garments in shops, restaurants, public buildings, and other similar places.
The local government of Ticino recently approved a referendum that would fine any woman wearing a burqa the equivalent of a whopping £6,500 in light of the heightened terrorism alerts all across Europe, Express UK reported.
The Swiss Parliament earlier ruled that the ban did not violate the country's federal law, resulting in a referendum in Ticino where two-thirds of the population voted to support and impose the ban.
According to the new law, the 40,000 Muslim women in Switzerland will still be allowed to wear masks, balaclavas, or crash helmets. However, their head-to-foot body cover will strictly be prohibited. Even visiting tourists must strictly comply with the new law.
Giorgio Ghiringhelli, who drew up the proposal, said the referendum vote is a strong message sent to "Islamist fundamentalists" in the country.
"Those who want to integrate are welcome irrespective of their religion. But those who rebuff our values and aim to build a parallel society based on religious laws, and want to place it over our society, are not welcome," he said.
The Ticino law was actually inspired by a similar French ban, which was observed by the European Court of Human Rights back in 2014. According to the said ban, women can be fined up to £150 for wearing the burqa in France, which has the biggest Muslim population in western Europe. When a British legal team tried to reverse the French ban last year, the attempt was rejected.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International was dismayed by the Ticino ban and called their decision to control the clothing preferences of Muslim women as a "black day for human rights in Ticino."
