The Italian parliament passed on Tuesday a draft law that would forbid Muslim women from wearing the full face veil, or niqab, in public. The draft law is supported by the the center-right ruling coalition. Italy is following in the steps of France and Belgium, who have already passed similar laws forbidding and penalizing the wearing of the niqab. The bill defines the penalty for women who fail to adhere to the law to be a fine of between 150 and 300 euros or alternatively doing community service. Lawmakers said the bill “aims at encouraging integration.” The bill proposed harsher penalties on anyone who forces a women to wear the veil, with sentences of up to one-year in prison and a fine up to 30,000 euros. The penalty applies whether the aggressor used “either physical or psychological violence.” Despite no official numbers of Muslims in Italy or the number of women that the ban will effect, a recent survey suggests that 73 percent of Italians think the niqab “should not be worn in public,” Italy's ANSA reported. A third of the Italians surveyed opposed the dress because they felt the niqab is being imposed on women by others. BM
