The March 7 vote in Switzerland banning full face covering in public places by 51.21 voters in Swiss cantons will unleash a new debate on enlightenment and Islamophobia. The majority vote for ‘burqa’ ban is being termed a verdict against “radical Islam” by the far-right, spearheaded by the Swiss Peoples Party (SVP). Those against the vote for ban call it racist and intolerant to religious beliefs. The thin majority secured in the Swiss vote amid a 50.8% turnout does not reflect an overwhelming support in the country for a ban on full face cover in public places.
Swiss voters have narrowly approved a proposal to ban face coverings in public spaces.
The measure comes just over a decade after citizens voted to ban the construction of minarets, the tower-like structures on mosques that are often used to call Muslims to prayer.
The referenda reflect the determination of a majority of Swiss voters to preserve Swiss traditions and values in the face of runaway multiculturalism and the encroachment of political Islam.
Switzerland now joins Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands and Sweden, all of which currently have full or partial bans on religious and non-religious face coverings.
The referenda reflect the determination of a majority of Swiss voters to preserve Swiss traditions and values in the face of runaway multiculturalism and the encroachment of political Islam.
Switzerland now joins Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands and Sweden, all of which currently have full or partial bans on religious and non-religious face coverings. In Switzerland our tradition is that you show your face. That is a sign of our basic freedoms. Walter Wobmann, member of the Swiss People s Party, the biggest political party in Switzerland. Some Muslims also understood that the
niqab is a clear symbol of radical Islam. Jean-Luc Addor, member of the Swiss People s Party.