Niqab ban goes into effect in Austria

The Dhaka Times Desk A law banning Muslim women from wearing the full-face niqab or burqa in public is taking effect in Austria. The law came into effect on Sunday.

The country's government says the law is meant to protect Austrian values. According to this law, the face must be visible from the hairline to the chin.

It is known that about 700,000 Muslims live in Austria with a population of 800,000. However, about 150 Muslim women in the country are believed to wear full-face veils or niqabs.

In addition to banning the niqab, this law prohibits covering the face or covering the face for medical reasons.

The law comes at a time when major political parties in the country are trying to exploit Islamophobia ahead of elections. It is believed that a far-right party may become part of the coalition government in the upcoming November elections.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany should also ban the full-face veil, or niqab, if legally possible. However, there is no ban on the niqab or burqa in the UK.

However, Austrian tourism officials have expressed concern about the new law. They say this has the potential to adversely affect the number of tourists from the Gulf Arab countries each year.

Note that earlier in 2011, France and Belgium imposed a ban on face veils. On the other hand, such a bill has been introduced in the Parliament of the Netherlands.