Switzerland to Ban Religious Face Coverings

The majority of Switzerland supported a proposed ban on face coverings (Flickr)

Polls in Switzerland indicate that the country will ban full-face coverings after a nationwide referendum on March 7. The bill will prohibit the use of the burka and niqab, following similar legislation passed in France and Belgium.

Polling results from 22 of Switzerland’s 29 cantons (states) showed that 54 percent of the country was in favor of the ban. While it is not explicitly stated that the referendum is for a ban on burkas and niqabs, advertising campaigns for the referendum equated women wearing burkas to religious extremism. Swiss far-right groups and parties such as the Swiss People’s Party have strongly supported the ban. While the people of Switzerland may be willing to ban the burka and niqab, the government and parliament oppose the ban.

Switzerland has a very direct democratic system of government, with referenda occurring multiple times each year. Citizens are often invited to decide on regional and national issues. Any petition that receives 100,000 or more signatures can be put to the national vote.

What is perhaps unusual about this referendum is that while the country has debated the topic of banning religious face coverings for quite a few years, it is uncommon to see a Muslim woman wearing a burka or niqab in Switzerland. A 2019 Federal Statistical Office poll found that only 5.5 percent of the Swiss population are Muslim. Of that number, most do not choose to wear a face veil.

"When a problem exists, we deal with it before it gets out of control,” explained Jean-Luc Addor, a member of the Swiss People’s Party. Even he seems to understand that it is quite a rare sight to see a burka or niqab in Switzerland, which adds to the xenophobic nature of the referendum.

If the ban passes, then it would be illegal to wear any sort of face covering in public, whether that be in a crowded city or the open countryside. Of course, there are exceptions that allow for limited uses, such as in private settings or for religious ceremonies.

Proponents of both sides of the argument have plastered posters around Swiss cities. Supporting posters have slogans such as "Stop radical Islam!" and "Stop extremism!" while posters against the referendum say, "No to an absurd, useless and Islamophobic 'anti-burka' law.”

Muslim feminists have spoken out strongly against the proposed ban. A vote in favor of the ban endangers "trivializing the xenophobic and racist atmosphere" for Muslim women, according to Meriam Mastour of the Purple Headscarves feminist group. “Besides being useless, this text is racist and sexist,” said Ines El-Shikh, who belongs to the same organization. 

The referendum was set in motion before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and now most Swiss people are wearing face coverings in order to stop the spread of the virus. There is no evidence to suggest medical masks or PPE will be subject to the ban. With the vote in favor of the ban, it is unlikely that there will be any opposition to the implementation and legislation of the policy.