By Anna Nguyen,
An issue that has occupied Switzerland is the referendum regarding the banning of full facial coverings. This matter is a controversial one, not only in Switzerland but also in the West countries in general. It is evident that there is a significant difference between the Arab and the West world regarding women, which has brought tensions more than once. Switzerland, as a country that is known for its freedom of expression, held a referendum on the 7th of March which resulted in 51% in favor of the ban and 49% against it.
In Switzerland, referendums can be held in order to change the Swiss constitution as long as they nationally gather 100.000 signatures. Therefore, the issue regarding the full coverage of the face when one is in public places such as streets and shops, was put into national vote. The proposal was brought up by the Swiss People’s Party, a right-wing party, whose main slogan was “Stop Extremism” when campaigned for this. It should be noted that this Party, slightly more than a decade ago, tried to propose the banning of further minarets’ constructions. What is interesting though is that despite the fact that this referendum is referred to the “burqa ban”, the proposal does not mention anything about burqas or the other related types of face coverings i.e., hijabs or niqabs. Nonetheless, politicians and the media has projected it as “the burqa ban”. The campaign was demonstrated by posters that pictured women wearing black niqabs, which once again targeted the Muslim minority in Switzerland and has raised oppositions by Amnesty International and Les Foulards Violets, a collective that supports Muslim women, as well as the government itself. In fact, in a latter’s statement made in January, it urged its citizens to vote against this proposal as it will affect negatively the country’s tourism industry and underlined that Switzerland is not a country that dictates what women wear. It is worth noting that Muslims account for merely 5% of the Swiss population, a percentage that is insignificant in total and that is why this proposal was criticized. Eventually, despite the appeals made by various actors, who amongst other practices, made posters that say “No to an absurd, useless and Islamophobic anti-burqa law,” the Swiss people decided to ban facial covering in public. The referendum’s day was characterized “dark for Muslims” and the Central Council for Muslims stated that this “sent a clear signal of exclusion to the Muslim minority.”
Switzerland, after the results of the referendum, is following the examples set by other European countries, for instance, France and Austria who have totally and partly banned full-face veils when in public, respectively. It is considered contradictory that countries, which strongly defend the freedom of expression and religion, pass laws that partially prevent them. A woman that covers her face is a result of cultural and religious obligations. It is a way for her to show her respect to what – as she considers- are above her; God and men. On the other hand, in a western point of view, the latter is believed to be a form of women’s oppression, that they are not able to freely express themselves, which contradicts their thinking, especially after the feminist movements that have taken place many years ago. However, if one would think further about this issue, they would realize that there is more to it than the battle of womens’ rights. European countries, specifically, more often than not, have been targets of terrorist attacks lately. It is reasonable that they should take measures that will protect their citizens from such incidents. It is not by chance that skepticism has increased within European borders. Nonetheless, this action will raise tensions as it is considered an attack -though indirect- to the Muslim community, especially when this is targeting a small percentage of the total population, that might be harmless to the nation.
The issue regarding wearing burqas, hijabs or niqabs has always been a topic that is widely discussed. In countries such as Switzerland in this case, it is not mandatory for a woman to wear such clothing when she is in public, whereas in Muslim countries it is. There have been many discussions about why western countries have to abide with the Muslim laws and culture regarding this matter whilst when a Muslim woman visits a western country she does not abide with the local culture. Is this considered a double standard? Probably. However, it is a cultural affair and there is a fine line between them that is easily violated. Anyone should be free to choose what one wears, as it is a way of expressing themselves and something that reflects their upbringing. All choices must be respected by all countries, particularly by a country that states that it fiercely supports the freedom of expression and Switzerland has changed that with the proposal’s result.
References
- Al Jazeera, Swiss gov’t urges voters to reject niqab ban in March referendum, Available here
- Al Jazeera, Swiss vote to outlaw facial coverings in “burqa ban” poll, Available here
- BBC News, Switzerland referendum: Voters support ban on face coverings in public, Available here
