Norway burqa ban: Norwegian officials wants to outlaw face-covering veils in schools
NORWAY wants to introduce a ban on face-covering Muslim veils in kindergartens, schools and universities, the government said on Monday.
Norway wants to introduce a ban on face-covering Muslim veils in schools
If the movement goes through, Norway will become the latest European nation to propose restrictions on wearing burqas and niqabs.
France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Bulgaria and the German state of Bavaria have all imposed restrictions on wearing full-face veils in public places.
Norway's minority government, a coalition of the centre-right Conservatives and the populist Progress Party, said it was confident it would find opposition support for the move.
Education Minister Torbjoern Roe Isaksen said: "We have every reason to believe this will be approved by parliament."
We have every reason to believe this will be approved by parliament
Norway, which will hold elections on September 11, will be the first country in the Nordics to introduce a ban on burqas for both adults and children.
Minister of Immigration and Integration, Per Sandberg, told a news conference: "Face-covering garment such as the niqab or burqa do not belong in Norwegian schools.
Several European countries have imposed restrictions on wearing full-face veils in public places
European Court upholds France's Burqa ban
"The ability to communicate is a basic value.
Employees who insist on wearing a veil would risk losing their jobs, and students could face expulsion from university, he added.