Swiss government urges voters to reject Burqa ban

SHAFAQNA- As Swiss voters prepare for March 7 referendum on full face/Niqab ban, the government urged people to reject the proposal, saying the move would hurt tourism. “Very few people in Switzerland wear a full facial covering,” the government said in a statement quoted by Reuters.

“A nationwide ban would damage tourism and be unhelpful for certain groups of women,” it said. The government added that women who wear full facial coverings are tourists and only spend a brief time in the country, describing the suggested ban as a bad idea, Aboutislam reported.

In 2009 Swiss voters backed a proposal to ban the construction of new Minarets. Two-thirds of Switzerland’s 8.5 million residents identify as Christians. But its Muslim population has risen to 5%, largely because of Balkans Muslim immigrants.