Ticino has become the first Swiss canton to approve a ban on face-covering headgear in public places, following a vote on Sunday. According to official estimates, only about 100 women in Switzerland wear them.
Burkas, full-body cloaks worn by some Muslim women, are few and far between in the Italian-speaking canton in southern Switzerland.
And yet, about 65 per cent of voters in the Italian-speaking canton voted in favour of the change to the law.
The Ticino initiative did not explicitly target Muslims – the phrasing voted on was «nobody in public streets or squares may veil or hide their face» – but in practice it means women in burkas. The law would apply to burkas and niqabs, Arabic face coverings with a slit for the eyes often worn as part of a full-body covering, but not to headscarves.
Until Sunday, burka bans hadn’t stood a chance in Switzerland. The force behind the initiative, which was handed in in March 2011 with 11,767 valid signatures, is the political campaigner and former journalist Giorgio Ghiringhelli, who has already proven in other cases that he knows how to get the majority of the public behind him.
«Preventative character»
For Ghiringhelli, the initiative had a «preventative character». He told swissinfo.ch that it was important to send a clear signal that the people are against «militant Islamism».
But one of the most vocal opponents of the ban, prominent local lawyer Paolo Bernasconi, said the initiative was not compatible with European human rights, and the ban would sully the image of the canton. He was supported in his views by NGOs including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch which put adverts in local newspapers, saying the wearing of burkas posed no risk to public order or safety.
The cantonal government only went as far as opposing the idea of adding a ban to the constitution, but presented a counterproposal to change the law on public order. This was accepted by 60 per cent of voters.
This law forbids covering one’s face in public, including during demonstrations or sporting events. However, it lists exceptions: helmets for motorcyclists, dust filters for workers or carnival masks.
Since both the initiative and the counterproposal have been accepted, the new article must be formally submitted for approval to the federal parliament in Bern.
Bans in Switzerland
There are roughly 400,000 Muslims in Switzerland (5% of the population).
Until now, bans on burkas and headscarves haven’t got close to being accepted. They have been rejected by cantonal parliaments in Basel City, Bern, Schwyz, Solothurn and Fribourg.
Canton Aargau wanted a nationwide ban on burkas, but this was thrown out by the federal government.
Headscarves have also been making headlines. The federal court recently judged that a ban by a commune in canton Thurgau on headscarves in secondary schools was illegal.
The branch of the rightwing Swiss People’s Party in canton St Gallen is preparing to launch an initiative to ban burkas and headscarves in schools. No other political party supports such a ban.