Swiss voters have strongly supported a ban on the burqa and other full coverage in one of the most controversial referendums to date in the country’s single direct democracy system and a further sign that a push against Islam is gaining ground in Europe.
A thin majority of Neapolitans, 51% of those who participated, voted to ban public coverage in front, compared to 49% against, according to the results of provisional officials in Sunday’s vote, although face masks to slow the spread of Covid-19 will fi are allowed, and burqa and niqab veils will still be allowed to be worn in places of worship.
The Swiss government opposed the proposal, and some opponents of the ban accused right-wing groups of using the issue to support anti-Muslim sentiment. During the campaign, Justice Minister Karin Keller-Sutter noted that “you almost think we live in Kabul,” while supporters described the possibility of women wearing face-covering as a breach of Swiss values.
Some cantons or states of the Alpine nation previously banned full coverage in regional votes. Following a national referendum in 2009, Swiss voters backed a proposal to ban the construction of minarets for mosques.
This time, the right, including the Swiss People’s Party, garnered more than 100,000 signatures to launch a vote on changing the constitution and won the support of moderate feminist and Muslim groups, including Saida Keller-Messahli, who founded a group called the Forum for a progressive Islam.
The Swiss People’s Party was also the driving force behind the vote on minarets, describing them as foreign to Swiss cultural traditions and adding to a broader debate in Europe on the integration of Muslims.
This debate continues in many parts of Europe. In France, President Emmanuel Macron has pushed for legislation to outlaw what he calls “Islamist separatism” and includes measures to prevent indoctrination of children during home schooling.
France and other countries have also banned full-face veils in public as a way to support secular values, while anti-immigrant sentiment has contributed to Britain’s vote to leave the European Union.
Instead, the Swiss government has urged voters to reject the ban on full coverage. He pointed to the country’s relatively small Muslim population, which accounts for about 5% of its 8.5 million inhabitants, and warned against the impact it could have on its tourism industry. The lakes of Switzerland are popular with wealthy visitors to the Gulf states.
A left-wing coalition that opposed the ban put up posters across the country declaring the proposal “Absurd. Useless. Islamophobia ”. Some, including Tamara Funicello of the left-leaning Social Democratic Party, opposed the idea that the government could tell women what they could and could not wear.
Andreas Tunger-Zanetti, a researcher at Islam at the University of Lucerne, conducted a survey last year that found that most Muslims in Switzerland find their roots in the Balkans and few, if any, wear burqas and only a few dozen wear a veil.
The Swiss government is now obliged to start working on legislation banning all full coverage in public places, except for places of worship, health grounds and traditional holidays such as Carnival. He had proposed a milder approach, requiring people to show their face to the authorities, if necessary for identification.
The Swiss referendum often addresses sensitive issues. Another vote could be held immediately in June to return to government powers to impose blockades and other measures to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
They are also used to solve several execution problems. Last year, the Swiss voted to increase the stock of cheap housing, tax breaks for children and expand wolf hunting. Voters also approved a free trade agreement with Indonesia on Sunday.
The proposals require a majority of voters and cantons to pass the law. Voters can vote in person at polling stations, by mail and online.
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