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Portugal’s parliament on Friday approved a bill banning niqabs from being worn in public places for “gender or religious” reasons. Muslim women.
The measure was proposed by the far-right Chega party and would ban the wearing of coverings such as the burqa and the niqab, the full-face Islamic veil, in most public places. Face coverings will still be allowed on airplanes, diplomatic premises and places of worship.
The bill provides for a fine of between 200 euros and 4,000 euros ($234 and $4,669) for those found wearing face coverings in public.
chairman marcelo rebelo de sousa The bill is still yet to be approved. He could veto it or send it constitutional court for review.
If signed into law, Portugal would join several European countries such as Austria, FranceBelgium and the Netherlands have full or partial bans on face and head coverings.
Many women in Portugal do not wear such a veil, but the issue of the Islamic veil has generated controversy similar to that in other European countries.
Chega cited arguments from France and other EU countries for banning face coverings commonly worn by Muslim women. far right Portuguese The party received support from centre-right parties.
In his bill, Chega said face concealment exposes individuals – especially women – to “a situation of exclusion and inferiority” and is inconsistent with principles such as “liberty, equality and human dignity”.