Switzerland votes to ban face coverings including burka and niqab in controversial referendum

SWISS voters narrowly swung in favour of a nationwide ban on face coverings in a controversial referendum.

Results released on Sunday evening showed 51.2 percent of voters supported the problematic proposal, that forbids women from wearing the burqa or niqab in public spaces.

The Swiss People's Party advocated the ban with campaign slogans targeting the Muslim communityCredit: AFP or licensors

Switzerland uses a system of direct democracy, meaning the referendum result will be implemented into the Swiss constitutionCredit: Getty - Contributor

It was championed by the right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP), that adopted campaign slogans including, "Stop extremism."

The referendum result will be formally incorporated into the Swiss constitution due to Switzerland's system of direct democracy.

Supporters of the myopic manifesto argue it will bring crime down, stopping destructive street protests and rowdy football hooligans who can no longer conceal their identity.

The country follows France, Denmark, Belgium and Austria in instating a ban on face coverings.

The Netherlands also enforced a similar law in 2019, prohibiting face coverings on public transportation, in government buildings and at health and education institutions.

Medical face coverings worn for health and safety reasons amid the coronavirus pandemic are not included in the ban.

Full face veils will be permitted inside places of prayer and for "native customs", such as carnivals, but the result has been regarded as a calculated attack on the Islamic community.

A leading Swiss Muslim campaign group described the result as "a dark day" for followers of the religion and vowed to appeal the decision in court.

"Today's decision opens old wounds, further expands the principle of legal inequality, and sends a clear signal of exclusion to the Muslim minority," the Central Council of Muslims said in a statement.

Amnesty International slammed the referendum results, labeling it "a dangerous policy that violates women's rights, including to freedom of expression and religion".

The result was extremely narrow and saw 51.2 percent of voters support the ban on face coveringsCredit: AFP or licensors

The 'burka ban' referendum has caused outrage amongst the Muslim community and was also condemned by the Swiss governmentCredit: EPA

Although the proposal did not directly refer to Islam or any religious motives, it has been widely referred to as "the burka ban".

Member of the Muslim feminist group Les Foulards Violets, Ines Al Shikh, said, "This is clearly an attack against the Muslim community in Switzerland. What is aimed here is to stigmatise and marginalise Muslims even more."

The Swiss government openly opposed the ban, arguing that it was not the state's place to dictate what women wear.

Around 450,000 Muslims - 5 percent of the population - live in Switzerland, yet only a small minority wear full face coverings.

Almost no one wears a burka and only between 21 to 37 women wear the niqab, according to research by the University of Lucerne.

In 2009, the Swiss again defied government recommendations and voted in favour of an SVP proposal to ban minarets.

They claimed the religious architecture was a sign of Islamination that alluded to the acknowledgment of Sharia law - beliefs deemed incompatible with Swiss democracy.

Chairman of the referendum committee and SVP lawmaker, Walter Wobmann, described Muslim face coverings as "a symbol for this extreme, political Islam which has become increasingly prominent in Europe and which has no place in Switzerland.