Austria joins countries banning full-face veils
(The Christian Science Monitor) Austria’s ruling coalition has become the latest government body in Europe to ban full-face veils, such as those worn by some Muslim women, in public places. The measure is part of a larger deal struck by the center-left Social Democratic Party and the center-right Austrian People’s Party to avert the disintegration of the coalition.
Similar bans have popped up in countries across Europe, propelled by the rise of right-wing populist parties and anti-immigration sentiments. The ban will apply to courts, schools, and other public areas. In explaining the ban, the 35-page statement penned by the coalition said that Austria should be an “open society that requires open communication. . . . Full-face veils in public places are the opposite of that and will be banned.”
The number of women who actually wear full-face veils in Austria is very small. The BBC estimates that only 150 women in Austria wear the full niqab, which conceals most of the face but leaves the eyes visible. The ban will also apply to the burqa, the most concealing covering.
