Geneva sources reported that the Swiss government said it opposes a proposed burka ban that is due to come to a referendum after supporters gained 106,600 signatures last year to enable a popular vote against full facial covering. Accordingly the Swiss Federal Council said in a statement that while the wearing of a full veil can be "problematic", it should continue to be left up to individual cantons to decide.
As per report the matter will go to a nationwide vote after enough public support, in the form of 106,600 signatures, was gathered in September last year for a people's initiative calling for a ban on the veil fully covering the face, known as a burka. Meanwhile neither the date nor the exact wording of this vote has been announced. Moreover Belgium, neighboring France, Denmark and Spain, have all taken measures against the wearing of Islamic veils and the Netherlands also passed a ban this week.
Further the federal council said a full national ban would make it
impossible to consider individual cantons' differing sensitivities. Moreover the
government also specified that under its counter proposal, it would remain
"unacceptable" and "a punishable offence" to force a woman
to cover her face. Hence a group seeking a national vote on a proposal needs to
collect more than 100,000 signatures, and a group called "Yes to a ban on
full facial coverings" did so.
