Portuguese parliament approves far-right bill to ban ‘niqab’ in public
If the bill passes its final stages, Portugal would join a number of European countries that have enacted restrictions or outright bans on face coverings in public spaces, including France, Belgium, Denmark, and Austria.
Portugal’s parliament (Assembleia da República) on Friday approved, in a preliminary vote, a bill introduced by the far-right Chega party that seeks to ban “face coverings in public places,” a measure widely seen as targeting the wearing of the niqab by Muslim women.
The legislation, proposed by Chega — which emerged as Portugal’s second-largest political force in the May legislative elections — passed its initial vote with 60 votes from Chega members and additional support from the center-right governing coalition and liberal parties.
Left-wing and communist parties voted against the proposal, denouncing it as discriminatory and contrary to Portugal’s principles of religious freedom and tolerance.
Muslim community representatives in Portugal noted that the niqab is not commonly worn among Muslim women in the country, though it remains a personal tradition for some.
If the bill passes its final stages, Portugal would join a number of European countries that have enacted restrictions or outright bans on face coverings in public spaces, including France, Belgium, Denmark, and Austria.
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