Austria imposes face veil ban
Nisaa FM: Activists and experts have condemned a law implemented in Austria on Sunday prohibiting the face veil as "counterproductive" and as an "attack on religious freedom".
The law, commonly known as the "Burqa ban," came into effect in advance of a general election on October 15, which could see the traditionally xenophobic far-right Freedom Party makes gains.
Of approximately nine million Austrians, between 100 to 150 Muslim women - or 0.002 percent - wear the face veil.
The garment covers the entire body and face except for the eyes, but violators may now face a fine of up to $180. The Austrian government says the law safeguards Austrian values and the concept of a free society.
Officials have marketed the law, termed "Prohibition on the Covering of the Face", as being religiously-neutral by also restricting the donning of medical masks, party masks, and scarves in public.
Carla Amina Baghajati, a rights activist and spokeswoman for the Austrian Islamic Religious Authority, a public institution representing Muslims, says the law threatens the concept of an open society. "They believe that they are 'freeing these women' and that they're taking action to secure the identity of Austria, but this is hypocritical as the idea of an open society is that everybody has the liberty to act and dress as they please as long as nobody else is harmed," Baghajati states.
Farid Hafez, senior research fellow at Georgetown University's Bridge Initiative, says the notion of the face veil ban is reflective of the "Islamophobic imagination of what has been construed to be the 'Muslim problem'" in several countries across Europe.
"Islamophobia is a problem in Austria as it is a problem and a challenge to democracy, human rights and religious freedom in many European countries today," Hafez, who is also a professor at the University of Salzburg, said, warning that the ban could have "serious consequences".
"Common people on the street [will] feel enabled to act disrespectfully towards Muslim women, insult them openly on the street," said Hafez, adding that young aspiring Muslim women would feel "obstructed".
Austria is the latest European country to implement such a ban. In 2011, France and Belgium introduced such laws. In 2015, the Netherlands approved a partial ban on the veil, while Bulgaria implemented a full ban in 2016.
Source:http://www.aljazeera.com/