Denmark becomes latest European country to ban face veils in public

Denmark has banned thewearing of face veils in public, joining France and other partsof Europe in outlawing the burqa and the niqab worn by someMuslim women.

Parliament voted on Thursday for the law proposed by thecentre-right government. Opponents say the ban, which comes into effect onAug.1, infringes on women's right to dress as they choose.

The government says that the banis not aimed at any particular religions, and it does not includeheadscarves, turbans or the traditional Jewish skull cap. Butthe law, popularly known as the "Burqa Ban," and is mostly seen as being directed at the dress worn by some conservative Muslim women.

Justice Minister Soren Pape Poulsen said police would notorder offenders to remove their veils, but would fine them andtell them to go home.

The law allows people to cover their faces when there is a "recognizable purpose" like cold weather or complying with other legal requirements, such as using motorcycle helmets under Danish traffic rules.

Fines will range from 1,000 Danish crowns ($203 Cdn) for a firstoffence to 10,000 crowns for the fourth violation.

Growing trend

France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Bulgaria and the Germanstate of Bavaria have all imposed some restrictions on full-faceveils in public places.

When the bill was proposed in February,Justice MinisterPapePoulsen, head of the conservativeparty in a government backed by the nationalist Danish People'sParty, said that it is "incompatible with the values " of Danish society to keep one'sface hidden when meeting in public.

Zainab Ibn Hssain, who lives in Copenhagen and has beenwearing the niqab for the last year, told Reuters: "It's not nice. It will mean that I won't be able to go to school, go towork or go out with my family.

"But I won't take my niqab off so I have to find anothersolution," the 20 year-old added.

Human rights group Amnesty International called the ban "adiscriminatory violation of women's rights."

"All women should be free to dress as they please and towear clothing that expresses their identity or beliefs," it said.

Ibn Hssain rejected suggestions that wearing the veilsymbolized the rejection of Danish values or oppression of women.

"It has nothing to do with integration or that we'reoppressed. For me it is a war on Islam," she said.

The justice ministry and the police now will write more detailed guidelines on how to enforce the law.

If it turns out to focus only on women in the niqab or burqa, it could amount to discrimination against a minority group and hence be against the law, said Louise Holck of the Danish Institute for Human Rights in an interview withTV2 television.