Angela Merkel's burka ban met with overwhelming support
Full-face veils are 'not acceptable' in German society, Chancellor tells party conference
Angela Merkel's proposal for a partial ban on full-face veils in Germany has been met with overwhelming public support.
Speaking at the Christian-Democratic Union (CDU) party conference in Essen this week, the German Chancellor told delegates "the full-face veil is not acceptable in our country" and she would support a ban "wherever legally possible".
The proposals, first outlined by interior minister Thomas de Maiziere in August, would ban niqabs and burkas in places deemed "necessary for our society's coexistence", such as in government offices, schools, universities and courtrooms.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Merkel's comments were met with applause and cheering from delegates and appear to have public approval as well.
A recent survey found 81 per cent of Germans believe burkas and niqabs should not be worn in some public places, while 51 per cent want a total ban on religious face coverings, Deutsche Welle reports.
"Support for bans on full-face veils has been growing across Europe since France became the first country to implement such a law in 2011," The Independent says. Dutch MPs approved a similar measure last month.
However, several commentators have questioned the need for a ban in Germany as only a small fraction of women wear the full-face veil.
Gabriele Boos-Niazy, the chairwoman of the German Alliance of Muslim Women, says she believes the number to be fewer than 100 and that many of those tourists.
The alliance previously referred to nursery nurses not being allowed to wear headscarves at work as "a disproportionate interference with the freedom of religion".
The proposed burka ban is part of a CDU platform promising a harder line on integration and a tougher policy on asylum seekers, including stepping up deportations of applicants who do not meet the criteria.
However, general secretary Peter Tauber insisted the CDU was pursuing a "policy of the outstretched hand, not a fist", Der Spiegel reports.
The Chancellor also said last year's scenes of hundreds of thousands of migrants pouring into Germany "would not happen again".
The CDU will be hoping her tough talk can boost her approval ratings before next year's general election. A fourth term would put Merkel in line to equal the record-breaking tenure of Germany's longest-serving Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who held onto the office from 1982 to 1998.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why au pairs might become a thing of the past
Under The Radar Brexit and wage ruling are threatening the 'mutually beneficial arrangement'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 17, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - political anxiety, jury sorting hat, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Gaza hospital blast: What the video evidence shows about who's to blame
Speed Read Nobody wants to take responsibility for the deadly explosion in the courtyard of Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital. Roll the tape.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giraffe poo seized after woman wanted to use it to make a necklace
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Helicopter sound arouses crocodiles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman sues Disney over 'injurious wedgie'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Emotional support alligator turned away from baseball stadium
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Europe's oldest shoes found in Spanish caves
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published