Denmark passes law to ban the burqa and niqab

Denmark joined a list of European countries on Thursday banning garments covering the face, including Islamic full-face veils in public places. The law, which was passed with 75 votes against 30, states, “Anyone who wears a garment that hides the face in public will be punished with a fine.”

The Danish government had proposed to ban the full-face veil earlier this year in February. “It is incompatible with the values in Danish society and disrespectful to the community to keep one’s face hidden when meeting each other in public spaces,” Justice Minister, Søren Pape Poulsen had said.

The law is popularly known as the “burqa ban”.

The Danish government cleared that the law does not ban headscarves, turbans and traditional Jewish skull cap and it has not been passed to take an aim at any religion.

AP news reported that the law allows people to cover their faces for “recognisable purposes” like in biting weather or using motorcycle helmets under the Danish traffic rules.

Denmark lawmakers have been mulling over the law since last year and despite fears of religious freedom, the three-party centre-right minority government, its ally the Danish People’s Party and the main opposition Social Democrats had supported the ban in 2017.

Justice Minister Soeren Pape Poulsen left the decision on the “common sense” of the police officers to call out on people violating the law. The law will come into force on August 1, 2018.

First-time offenders of the law would risk a fine of 1,000 kroner which would amount to US dollar 156. People violating the law more than once would risk a fine of up to 10,000 kroner, which would amount to US dollar 1600 or imprisonment up to six months.

Addition to this, any person forcing or threatening another to wear a full-face veil or garments covering the face would risk two years imprisonment.

Similar laws are followed by Austria, France and Belgium.

In 2017, the European court of human rights upheld a Belgian ban on wearing full-face veils in public spaces.