Thursday, August 19, 2010

Bosnian Parliament To Consider Ban On Niqab

A release from the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) published yesterday in BikyaMasr reports that the Central Parliament in Bosnia is about to consider a bill to ban Muslim women from wearing the full face veil in public.  The proposed law, which would fine women 50 Euros for violations, bans clothing that prevents identification.  The bill was initially put forward by the Bosnian Serb party of Independent Social Democrats in April and had been scheduled for debate in July.  That debate was postponed to Sept. 1 when a veiled female human rights activist attended the July session of Parliament as an observer. Opponents are campaigning against the bill, using the slogan: "Our Niqab, Our Choice, Our Right." IHRC argues that the proposed ban violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.