© AP Photo, by Saurabh Das the Popular initiative about a ban to close a face in public places was put forward in March, 2016. On Wednesday organizers reported that necessary 100 thousand signatures are collected.
In two days prior to the established period termination the deputy from the Swiss people's party and one of authors of an initiative Walter Wobmann declared that signatures are collected, certified and will be soon transferred to Federal office, and it means that the initiative about a ban of a burqa can be submitted for a referendum.
not without difficulties. As of September 4 organizers had 82 thousand certified signatures. In the last week before a deadline they had to throw urgently all forces on search of missing autographs. The most productive member of a staff appeared 76-year-old Ervin Letsher from Villizau who alone convinced to subscribe under the project of an initiative of 9 thousand 700 people. Journalists of Luzerner Zeitung found out that such increased public activity of the pensioner is explained by that he is afraid of migrants and Islamization of Switzerland.
According to statistical data, in Switzerland are lived by 430 thousand Muslims that makes 5% of the population of the country, thus a third from them have the Swiss nationality. 90% of Muslims arrived to Switzerland from Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania or Turkey, and 6% — from the Arab countries.
In the report of Federal council for 2013 draw a conclusion that the Muslim community in Switzerland is non-uniform and broken into a set of small groups which differ from each other language, culture and traditions. For example, Muslims from one of the Balkan countries and from Egypt will belong to different communities.
the Report of Federal service of statistics showed that the most active religious group in Switzerland is made by evangelists who go to church once a week or more often. And here the number of people who within the last year never visited religious service, appeared the highest among Muslims.
If on a referendum the people will speak in favor of an initiative, it will be forbidden to close a face in public places. Let's notice, the ban will concern a burqa and a niqab, but will not extend on a hijab and burkini as they leave the person open.
While is forbidden to cover a face only in Canton of Ticino where it is possible to receive a penalty for wearing a burqa to 10 thousand francs. Recently in the Swiss mass media there were photos of the Moslems walking on streets Lugano with gauze bandages on faces. Whether women with the medical purposes are masked or to bypass a ban, it is not known.
Similar laws exist and in other European countries, for example, to France, Belgium, Netherlands and Bulgaria. To Austria since October it will be forbidden not only to cover a face, but also to distribute the Koran.
Walter Wobmann is ready to fight for voices and is optimistic. In free society people do not hide the face, he emphasizes. His opponents answer that in free society people do not specify by another how to put on, and to force women to take off a burqa means to violate the civil rights consolidated by the constitution.
In committee of opponents of the initiative, District of Coronie, enter representatives of all main fractions and even the member of the same party Vobmanna Zanetti Klaudio. They consider that the initiative is directed on fight against symbols, instead of against the real problems. Even if from the Swiss streets women in a niqab will disappear, the problem of religious extremists will not be solved by itself — it is necessary to struggle with radical Islamists other methods.
that the similar parliamentary initiative which has been put forward by Walter Wobmann last year, was supported by National council, but is rejected by Council of cantons later. Probably, the popular initiative will have more chances: by results of online poll carried out by the news Sonntags-Zeitung resource, 71% of Swisses supported a ban of wearing a burqa.