11/05/2010 Culture, Science, Education and Media
Strasbourg, 11.05.2010 – The veiling of women is often perceived as “a symbol of the subjugation of women to men” and could be a threat to womens’ dignity and freedom, but there should be no general prohibition on wearing the burqa and the niquab, a committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has declared.
In a draft resolution adopted yesterday at a meeting in Istanbul, PACE’s Committee on Culture, Science and Education said legal restrictions may be justified “for security purposes, or where the public or professional functions of individuals require their religious neutrality, or that their face can be seen”.
But a general ban would deny women “who genuinely and freely desire to do so” their right to cover their face, the parliamentarians said, and may violate the right to freedom of religion guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights. European governments should instead seek to educate Muslim women on their rights, as well as their families and communities, and encourage them to take part in public and professional life.
The committee, which was approving a report on Islam, Islamism and Islamophobia prepared by Mogens Jensen (Denmark, SOC), also called on Switzerland to repeal as soon as possible its general ban on the construction of minarets.
The committee’s position will now be debated by the Assembly – which brings together parliamentarians from the 47 countries of the Council of Europe – at its summer plenary session in Strasbourg (21-25 June).