Denmark became the latest country to “ban the burqa” this week when its new law prohibiting the wearing of face coverings in public came into force.
Whilst the ban has been condemned as “discriminatory” by its critics, the Danish government insists that the law is not aimed at the religious. The law also forbids the wearing of balaclavas, face masks and fake beards, but there’s little doubt that the biggest impact will be on the relatively small number of Muslim women who wear the Islamic niqab and burqa.
Denmark is just one of a rising number of European nations to crack down on the wearing of face veils. Full or partial bans have been implemented in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Latvia, the Netherlands and in the southern German state of Bavaria.
The bans have come amid rising concerns across Europe about the growth of Islam and its influence on societies. Migration often has positive effects on countries, but it can have negative effects, too, and many European citizens are clearly concerned about the detrimental impact that Islam, or at least certain manifestations of it, is having across the continent. [The Huffington Post UK] Read more
