Swiss parliamentarians narrowly voted Friday against a ban on wearing the Muslim burqa and other face coverings in public places, including public transport.

The lower house of the Swiss parliament rejected the motion pushed by the canton of Aargau in a vote of 93 to 87.

Representing the majority, Hugues Hiltpold of the Free Democratic Party of Switzerland insisted that the burqa was not a problem in the country.

“The wearing of these kinds of garments for religious reasons does not pose real problems in daily life, since the practice is not very common in the Swiss Muslim community,” he told the National Council.

When it came to face coverings at demonstrations, the parliamentarians meanwhile said they did not want a national ban but would leave regulation up to each canton.    »»» alarabiya.net

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