By Rumki Chowdhury
Fashion in Switzerland follows the rule: “When in doubt, wear black.” However, this will not apply to niqabs as of 2025. Switzerland calls it the “burqa ban,” but burqa is a traditional loose-fitting dress for Arabs and popular amongst Muslim women of other backgrounds due to its modest nature. However, what the Swiss people are calling the “burqa ban” really applies to the niqab, effective January 1st, 2025. This will affect Switzerland’s approximately 250,000 Muslim population.
According to the Swiss government, the ban does not apply to planes or in diplomatic and consular premises, and faces may also be covered in places of worship and other sacred sites. However, we are talking about Swiss Muslim residents! How can they live in a country where they are not allowed the freedom of choice in clothing? The irony lies in the Swiss Constitution, which vows that “all people are equal before the law and that no one can be discriminated against based on factors such as gender, race, age, or disability.” The burqa and niqab are cultural garbs but have become a symbol of Islam, particularly “extremism” in the eyes of many European and a few Asian politicians. However, according to the Fashion History Timeline, “Not only do the terms for veiling differ among Islamic ethnic groups and regions, but the forms and aesthetics are equally varied.” Therefore, ultimately, it is a choice of clothing just as much as it is a choice to wear a gruesome-looking mask on Halloween or a Covid mask on the commute to work.
The idea behind banning niqabs or “burqas,” as the Swiss mistakenly call it, was initiated in 2021 but had not been set in motion until recently. The Federal Council released a statement that violations against the “burqa ban” will be considered illegal, and the perpetrators will face up to 1,000 Swiss francs or $1,144 in fines. Yes, I wrote “face” in the previous sentence-no pun intended.
While France has the reputation of being the first European country to ban so-called “religious” garb due to their goals of secularization despite the “freedom” they speak of in their constitution, Switzerland almost immediately follows in France’s footsteps. After all, these two countries share a border of 600 km. and 200,000 residents within that Swiss-French area. While face coverings and burqas are considered garbs representing extremism, has it ever occurred to them that they are simply cultural attire? Moreover, has it ever occurred to them to ban other face coverings like Halloween masks or Covid masks? For some reason, proposing and implementing bans which affect Muslims more directly than most due to the very visibility of our faith, demonstrates the very threshold of Islamophobia. One in every two Muslims in Europe, experiences a form of racism or prejudice in their lives. One must wonder why…. That was sarcasm.
“After the ban on minarets, a majority of Swiss voters has once again backed an initiative that discriminates against a single religious community and needlessly stirs up fears and division,” Amnesty International said.
“The veiling ban is not a measure for women’s liberation, but a dangerous symbolic policy that violates freedom of expression and religion.”
About the Author:
Rumki Chowdhury is Editor of World Hijab Day Organization. Moreover, she is a professional editor and an award-winning published author and poet. She has an MA in English Literature from Queen Mary University of London, a BA in English Writing from William Paterson University of New Jersey and an English Subject Teaching Degree from Gävle Högskolan in Stockholm, Sweden. She speaks Bengali and Swedish fluently! She has years of experience in the media and publishing worlds. Rumki lives with her husband and their three daughters. Follow her on social media @rumkitheauthor