BAVARIA, Germany: A southern German state will place a ban on wearing a full-face veil (niqab) by Muslim women at universities, schools, police stations and government offices.
The decision has been taken by Bavaria state seven months ahead of a federal election. Experts believe that immigration will be the prominent issue in the upcoming election.
The conservatives that rule the Bavarian state and also an ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel are feared about losing majority votes to the Alternative for Germany, an anti-immigrant party.
The new law was introduced on Tuesday eve, which banned wearing of the niqab (face-covering veil) and burka (face and body veil) in public institutions as well as places such as when dealing with police and in polling stations where identity is key.
The legislation looks set to be passed before summer break as the CSU – sister party to Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) – holds an absolute majority in the regional parliament.
Defending the ban, Herrmann said communication is the “foundation of our interactions with each other and it’s the basis of our free and democratic order.
“Concealing your face is at odds with this culture of communication,” he added.
When asked by the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper how many state civil servants would be affected by the ban, he said none. But he said it was important that legislation was in place to keep the veil out of such public spaces.
The newspaper quoted Green deputy Ulrike Gote, who is opposed to a ban, as saying it “solved a problem we don’t have” and was merely a political gesture that implied that Islam posed a threat to German society.
Bavaria was targeted in several of the bloody attacks which hit Germany last year – some carried out by Muslim migrants.
That prompted its prime minister to urge the government to address immigration-related concerns.
Germany has accepted more than a million migrants, mostly from Muslim nations, into the country over the past 18 months.
