BRUSSELS – Belgian MPs were set today to impose a ban on wearing the Islamic burqa in public, the first clampdown of its kind in Europe, unless the nation’s political crisis disrupts their vote.
The federal Parliament’s home affairs committee voted unanimously on March 31 to endorse a nationwide ban on clothes or veils that do not allow the wearer to be fully identified, including the full-face niqab and full-body burqa.
Those who ignore it could face a fine of €15-€25 ($28-$47) and/or a jail sentence of up to seven days, unless they have police permission to wear the garments.
The governing parties and opposition agree on the move, and the full house was widely expected to easily endorse the draft law.
But a deep political crisis is looming after a party threatened to pull out of the Government if tense negotiations between the French and Dutch-language communities on power-sharing were not finalised in 24 hours.
“Bans like this lead to a lose-lose situation,” said Judith Sunderland, a researcher at Human Rights Watch. “They violate the rights of those who choose to wear the veil and do nothing to help those who are compelled to do so.”
