Belgium became the first country in Europe to ban clothing that obscures the identity of the wearer in public places. On Thursday, the lawmakers in the Lower House of Parliament passed the law, which will prohibit women from wearing full Islamic veils in parks, streets, sporting events, or buildings providing public services.
Presented as a security measure to allow police to identify people, the draft bill won strong support from the Belgian members of Parliament, with 136 voting in favor, two abstentions, and nobody against.
Some MPs said they supported the bill because they consider the full-face veil a symbol of oppression of women, calling it a “walking prison.”
Violators can face fines of between $20 and $33, or serve up to seven days in jail. The law can also be applied against demonstrators who try to conceal their faces.
The bill still needs to be passed by the senate before it becomes law. This process could be delayed, however, due to the collapse of Belgium’s government last week, which may result in new elections.
Amnesty International has urged the Belgian Parliament not to pass the bill, saying the ban “would violate the rights to freedom of expression and religion of those women who choose to express their identity or beliefs in this way.”
Amnesty also said that the authorities “must make sure that all women who wear the full veil do so without coercion, harassment, and discrimination.”
A similar law is being prepared in France, where President Nicolas Sarkozy has said that that burqa “is not welcome.” France has the largest Muslim community in the European Union with a Muslim population of roughly 5 million.
Presented as a security measure to allow police to identify people, the draft bill won strong support from the Belgian members of Parliament, with 136 voting in favor, two abstentions, and nobody against.
Some MPs said they supported the bill because they consider the full-face veil a symbol of oppression of women, calling it a “walking prison.”
Violators can face fines of between $20 and $33, or serve up to seven days in jail. The law can also be applied against demonstrators who try to conceal their faces.
The bill still needs to be passed by the senate before it becomes law. This process could be delayed, however, due to the collapse of Belgium’s government last week, which may result in new elections.
Amnesty International has urged the Belgian Parliament not to pass the bill, saying the ban “would violate the rights to freedom of expression and religion of those women who choose to express their identity or beliefs in this way.”
Amnesty also said that the authorities “must make sure that all women who wear the full veil do so without coercion, harassment, and discrimination.”
A similar law is being prepared in France, where President Nicolas Sarkozy has said that that burqa “is not welcome.” France has the largest Muslim community in the European Union with a Muslim population of roughly 5 million.
