THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: ZURICH—The Swiss canton of Ticino overwhelmingly approved an initiative to outlaw the burqas worn by some Muslim women for religious reasons, a move that follows the lead of other European countries and could prompt a national debate in Switzerland on the issue.
Nearly two thirds of voters in Ticino cast ballots for the measure in a referendum initiated by a local activist, according to final results released by the Ticino government. The measure calls for banning clothes that "hide one's face in public," vague wording that would include burqas, niqabs and other veiled garments worn by some Muslim women on religious grounds.
The vote, part of Switzerland's tradition of direct democracy, opens a new chapter in Switzerland's brewing debate over how comfortable it is accommodating foreigners and their cultures, particularly those practicing Islam. The country has recently tightened rules governing both immigration and asylum seekers, many of whom come from [the] northern Africa, the Middle East and other traditionally Muslim parts of the world.
"It was a historic vote," Giorgio Ghiringhelli, the 61-year-old former journalist behind the initiative, told The Wall Street Journal. "It is time to say 'stop' to those people who don't want to integrate in our society." » | Marta Falconi and John Letzing | Sunday, September 22, 2013
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