Switzerland enacted a law at the start of the year that prohibits anyone from wearing burqa coverings in public. The Swiss people voted in favor of the ban four years ago but were met with backlash from the current government who called the ruling racist. Yet, Swiss law requires the government to adhere to referendums and the government was overpowered by the people.
Swiss People’s Party (SVP) introduced the initial legislation, and while they did not directly call out Islam, they called full facial coverings a form of “soft extremism.” Amnesty International called the ban “a dangerous policy that violates women’s rights, including to freedom of expression and religion.” It is astounding that women’s rights are considered just in this manner.
Switzerland is not the first or last nation to ban burqas. Belgium and France were the first nations in Europe to implement bans back in 2011, followed by Bulgaria in 206. China and Austria implemented bans in 2017, Denmark in 2018, and Sri Lanka in 2019.
People may dress as they wish in places of worship, but it is now forbidden in public places. You could not enter a store with a ski mask, for example, and countless places will not even permit people to tint their car windows. Women would not travel to Islamic nations and flaunt a revealing outfit. Similarly, the existing culture should remain in place without wavering to the whims of newcomers.
Personally, I do not find the 1,000 franc fine to be racist. Nations throughout the world, especially those with open border policies, are fighting to maintain their own culture.
