An Italian parliamentary commission approved a draft law on Tuesday that would ban women from wearing veils that cover their face in public.
The law will be forwarded to the Italian parliament following summer recess, and if the law passes, Italy would be the third European country to ban face veils following France and Belgium.
The law was sponsored by Souad Sbai, a member of the conservative Freedom People Party born in Morocco. He has stated in a phone interview, "Five years ago, no-one wore the burqa in Italy. Today, there is always more. We have to help women get out of this segregation."
Sbai added that according to some reports an estimated 3,000 women across Italy cover their faces.
If passed, the new law would expand upon a pre-existing Italian law that does not allow the concealing of the face for security reasons.
France was the first country in the world to ban face veils with President Sarkozy famously stating “burqas are not welcome in France.”
France's burqa-ban witnessed protests in the country that lead to the arresting of burqa-clad women that refused to leave protests last April when the law was enacted.
If passed, Italy's ban will fine third parties that force women to cover their face in public 30,000 Euros and they could face up to 12 months in jail.
source : http://abna.ir
