Opponents of such a ban here say it would heavily infringe on personal, cultural and religious freedoms and only serve to inflame tensions.
Advocates insist the burqa has no place in progressive, pluralistic German society.
In Frankfurt am Main, a city of 700,000 residents, including a large Muslim population, the issue has split Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU Party and the Greens within the ruling coalition.
Currently, staff in the municipal administration are not allowed to wear veils at work, and there are calls for this to be extended into public life.
The Local talked to the heads of both local party branches about the implications of a potential ban in Germany, which has around four million Muslims, only a small number of whom wear veils in public.
[A COMMENT] They should be banned in all western civilizations. We are not allowed to show our religious freedoms in their countries. If they want to move to western society they need to integrate, plain and simple.
[ANOTHER] Cliques, ghettos and self-segregated communities that are fuelled by religion, that do not want to be a part of the society that they want to move to, live in and enjoy the benefits of, should respect the culture they move to.
Or they can always stay in their country of origin where they are free to practice. It's the 21st Century. Society should reflect that. Not pander to people wearing burqas. [The Local] Read more
