Switzerland: minister revises anti-burqa statement
Swiss Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf has revised an earlier statement that she would ban the burqa in Switzerland.
Speaking at the Swiss Press Club in Geneva, she said the media may have misinterpreted her comments.
She said that as a European woman, she had a problem with the burqa as a symbol, but that she wasn't currently concerned about it because of the few women wearing it in Switzerland, most are tourists—with the caveat that if too many began wearing it in future, a ban could be discussed on the basis of proportionality.
She added that the Cabinet opposes the initiative against the construction of minarets, which the Swiss will decide in a popular vote on November 29. She said it violates freedom of religion and the prohibition of discrimination guaranteed by the constitution.
She said she hopes Islamophobia in Switzerland will be over after this vote.
Source: WRS (English)
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