Muslims in Switzerland say that they’ll legally challenge what is described as a so-called “burqa ban” imposed on the country.
Swiss citizens have just voted to ban all face coverings in a binding referendum vote.
Switzerland has a system of Direct Democracy, a legal framework that enables all Swiss citizens over the age of 18 to vote on how the country is run.
Under the Direct Democracy system, Swiss citizens voted for 51.2% against 48.8% to ban all face coverings. The referendum did not mention the religion of Islam by name but politicians and the media have called it the “Burqa Ban.”
Before the landmark vote, Walter Wobmann, a member of parliament for the conservative Swiss People’s Party said “In Switzerland, our tradition is that you show your face. That is a sign of our basic freedoms,” reports YahooNews.
Facial covering is “a symbol for this extreme, political Islam which has become increasingly prominent in Europe and which has no place in Switzerland,” he said.
Muslim groups condemned the vote and said they would challenge it.
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