Denmark today joined Austria, France and Belgium in deciding to ban garments that cover the face, including Islamic veils such as the niqab or burqa. The law, popularly -- and that's the right word! -- known as the "Burqa Ban", was approved by the Danish parliament by a vote of 75 to 30, with 74 members absent or abstaining.The centre-right governing coalition says the law is not aimed at any particular religion. Similar to Bill 62, a modified version of the Charter of Québec values, enacted by the Québec National Assembly last fall, it is directed at the dress worn by some conservative Muslim women, which partially or fully covers the face. It doesn't prohibit hijabs, headscarves, turbans or the Jewish kippa.
The law allows people to cover their face when there is a “recognizable purpose” like cold weather or complying with other legal requirements, such as using motorcycle helmets under Danish traffic rules. First-time offenders risk a fine of $200 . Repeat offences could trigger fines of up to $2060 or a jail sentence of up to six months.
One provision that's different from laws in place elsewhere in Europe is that anyone forcing a person to wear garments covering the face by using threats or physical force can be fined or face up to two years in prison. This provision is superfluous, IMHO, because everyone knows that under Sharia law, women are completely free to make up their own minds about what to wear or not wear. To suggest otherwise is clearly Islamophobic!
Further reading:
"Strong Majority of Brits Back Burqa Ban", Breitbart News, 31/5/18. Spoiler alert! "A significant [perecentage of Britons polled] said Islam, in general, is not compatible with the British way of life." Well, DUH!
"Why the Danes are the happiest people in the world", WWW 17/3/2016.
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