Although the proposal “Yes to a ban on full facial coverings” does not mention the burqa or the niqab — there is no doubt what the debate concerns amid a campaign by some of the country’s politicians to assign labels for Islam and its followers.
Switzerland is voting on whether to ban full facial coverings in public places, despite Muslim women in full-face veils being an exceptionally rare sight in Swiss streets.
Polls indicate a slim majority supports the move, in a vote on Sunday that comes after years of debate following similar bans in other European countries. The ban is then expected to become law.
Even though the proposal “Yes to a ban on full facial coverings” does not mention the burqa or the niqab — which leaves the eyes uncovered — there is no doubt what the debate concerns with local politicians, media and campaigners having dubbed it the burqa ban.
Campaign posters reading “Stop radical Islam!” and “Stop extremism!”, featuring a woman in a black niqab, have been plastered around Swiss cities.
Rival posters read: “No to an absurd, useless and Islamophobic ‘anti-burqa’ law.”
The proposal, which also aims to stop violent street protesters and football hooligans wearing masks, predates the Covid-19 pandemic, which has seen all adults forced to don masks in many settings to prevent the spread of infection. It gathered the necessary support to trigger a referendum in 2017.
