Purdah

Kosovo's Islamic Community Council has asked the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, to remove the ban of wearing religious symbols in high schools after a photo of a sign banning the burqa at the entrance of a high school in Gjakova/Djakovica drew criticism.

Swiss voters on March 7 narrowly backed a ban on full face coverings in public places - a decision hailed by supporters as a bulwark against radical Islam but branded as discriminatory by opponents.

Official results showed that 51.2 percent of voters, and a clear majority of federal Switzerland's cantons, supported the proposal.

Switzerland will ban the wearing in public of burqas, the full-body covering worn by some Muslim women, and other full-face coverings, after a referendum showed a narrow majority in favour of it.

According to the final count on Sunday evening, 51.21 per cent of voters were in favour of the ban.

Denmark will join other European countries banning full-face covering, including Islamic veils such as the niqab or burqa.

Jakob Ellemann-Jensen of Denmark’s liberal party that leads a center-right governing coalition says a law proposal was not aimed at any religions or a ban of scarfs, turbans or kippa, the traditional Jewish skull cap.

Denmark looks set to become the next European country to restrict the burqa and the niqab, worn by some Muslim women, after most parties in the Danish parliament backed some sort of ban on facial coverings, reported Reuters. 

A law was enacted today in Austria forbidding the wearing of clothing and accessories covering the face, said Associated Press.

Australian anti-immigration far-right politician Pauline Hanson caused a furore on Aug. 17 when she entered the Senate wearing a full burqa, earning a blistering rebuke from the country's top lawyer for the "appalling" stunt.

The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday upheld a Belgian ban on wearing the full-face niqab veil in public, AFP reported.

The court ruled that the restriction sought to guarantee social cohesion, the "protection of the rights and freedoms of others" and that it was "necessary in a democratic society", a statement said.

The Norwegian government on Monday proposed a bill to ban the full-face Muslim veil in all schools, from nurseries to universities, saying it hinders communication between students and teachers.

The European People’s Party (EPP) announced it would support the banning of the Islamic veil across Europe during its annual meeting in Malta, Friday. “We want to ban the veiling of the face all over Europe”, the party’s head Manfred Weber told German media.