Danish lawmakers voted on Thursday to ban face coverings in public, making the Scandinavian country the latest of several European nations to pass such a measure for “security” reasons.
The policy is commonly called the “burqa ban,” though the Danish government has said it is not intended to target people of any specific religion.
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The new law goes into effect on Aug. 1, according to the BBC, and it will make it illegal for women to wear garments like the niqab and burqa — both of which are traditional Islamic garments. It also extends to fake beards and masks that cover people’s faces.
However, the policy does not prohibit the wearing of other religious attire, including headscarves, kippahs, or turbans. The legislation also leaves it up to law enforcement officials to make exceptions for face coverings used for a “recognisable purpose,” such as shielding people from cold weather.
Amnesty International has said the ban “violates the rights to freedom of expression and religion” and discriminates against women, particularly Muslim women, in Denmark.
Read more: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Says Women Are 'Absolutely' Equal to Men
“All women should be free to dress as they please and to wear clothing that expresses their identity or beliefs,” Gauri van Gulik, Amnesty International’s Europe director, said in a statement. “This ban will have a particularly negative impact on Muslim women who choose to wear the niqab or burqa ... The law criminalizes women for their choice of clothing and in so doing flies in the face of those freedoms Denmark purports to uphold.”
Many others have also spoken out on social media against the new policy.
The progressive, social democracy of #Denmark has decided it can tell women what they can and cannot wear - reminds me of some other countries, guess where?#RightToChoicehttps://t.co/QAHOWow4VL
— Maryam Alkhawaja (@MARYAMALKHAWAJA) May 31, 2018
This is the Danish political party that fought for the criminalisation of burkas and niqabs and today they succeeded. It’s a sad day. I know there a good people in Denmark fighting against this. But till we win, I am genuinely heartbroken for Danish muslims. https://t.co/vLgAe6u6Lz
— Sofie Hagen (@SofieHagen) May 31, 2018
Denmark shows how liberal it is by passing a Burqa Ban.
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@MuslimIQ) May 31, 2018
Nothing says freedom like forcing women to dress how you want women to dress & fining them ~$200 to $2000 & 6 mo in prison if they defy the law.
So much for freedom & liberal values.🙄https://t.co/ZBuE6fFoTd
A false "respect local culture" logic in some replies here that says this ban is OK, "because you can't wander around Riyadh in a miniskirt" either. So, Saudi Arabia should be the world's model? If Saudi makes a law on women's clothes, then it's OK for Denmark & Belgium to do so?
— Andrew Stroehlein (@astroehlein) May 31, 2018
European countries are so quick to tell Islamic countries to let women wear what they want yet ban them from actually covering up by choice in their own countries. #Denmark#RightToChoice
— sim (@daddysimm) May 31, 2018
The ban’s supporters argue that face coverings pose a public safety threat and are against Danish culture.
"In terms of value, I see a discussion of what kind of society we should have with the roots and culture we have, that we don't cover our face and eyes, we must be able to see each other and we must also be able to see each other's facial expressions, it's a value in Denmark," Denmark's Justice Minister Søren Pape Poulsen said.
First-time offenders will be fined 1,000 kroner ($160), but repeat offenders may be fined up to 10 times that amount, according to a Danish news agency.
Read more: An Iranian Woman Who Removed Her Hijab Was Sentenced to 2 Years in Prison
France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Austria have all passed similar “burqa bans” over the past few years. And though these policies have been heavily debated, the European Court of Human Rights has consistently upheld such policies.
The burqa and other Islamic face coverings have prompted discussions and controversy around the world. While some women see them as symbols of religious expression and choose to wear them, others associate the garment with male oppression, particularly in countries like Saudi Arabia, where women are required to keep themselves covered in the presence of men.
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