Switzerland has narrowly voted to ban full coverage, including niqabs and burqas, of most public spaces.
CNN reports that the controversial referendum passed with 52.21 percent of the vote. It prohibits comprehensive coverage of publicly accessible places, including streets, public offices, public transportation, restaurants and shops.
Exceptions will be made for places of worship, sacred places and for health and safety reasons. However, no exceptions will be made for tourists.
Religious groups, human rights defenders and the federal government have criticized the referendum, CNN reports. The Swiss Federal Council, the Swiss Federal Government and the Swiss Parliament, advised voters not to support the referendum.
Critics also claim that because almost no one in Switzerland wears a burqa and that the number of people wearing niqabs is in the lower dozens, the proposal is essentially futile.
The proposal was presented by the Swiss right-wing People’s Party and, while it does not mention Islam, it has referred to the “ban on the burqa” in the Swiss media, according to CNN.
Amnesty International spoke out against the results of the vote and said in a statement: “Swiss voters have once again approved an initiative that discriminates against a particular religious community, unnecessarily fueling division and fear.”
Public burqa bans have been approved in several European countries, including France, Germany and the Netherlands. CNN notes that the UN Human Rights Committee has said the measures violate the human rights of Muslim women and could result in “confining them to their homes.”