Denmark is mulling over fines for women found wearing the full-face veil.
Denmark looks set to become the latest European country to ban the burqa, after first touting the idea last year.
The Scandinavian nation’s government plans to fine people wearing facial coverings, including the burqa and the niqab, which are worn by some Muslim women.
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“It is incompatible with the values of the Danish society or the respect for the community to keep the face hidden when meeting each other in the public space,” Justice Minister Justice Soren Pape Poulsen said, according to The Telegraph.
“With a ban, we draw a line in the sand and establish that here in Denmark we show each other trust and respect by meeting each other face to face.”
Under the proposals being mulled over, anyone caught concealing their face in public will be fined Dhs610, or up to Dhs6,100 if they’re a repeat offender.
If a ban comes into force, Denmark will join other European nations including France, Belgium, Austria and the Netherlands, which have legally restricted the wearing of facial coverings in public.
France was the first European country to ban the burqa – a clampdown on students in state-run schools began in 2004, and the law came into full effect in April 2011. Anyone caught wearing the burqa or niqab is fined €150 (Dhs749).
However Belgium, which introduced a similar ban shortly after France, goes even further – anyone caught wearing the veil risks being jailed for up to seven days and fined €1,378 (Dhs5,685).
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Norway’s government have also signalled a similar ban could soon be enforced, after proposing in June to forbid the full-face veil in kindergartens, schools and universities for pupils and staff alike.
Last year, the European Union’s top court ruled that employers are allowed to ban the “visible wearing of any political, philosophical or religious sign”, including the hijab.
Images: Getty
