Posted on September 30, 2016

Bulgarian Parliament Approves Burqa Ban

Tom Porter, International Business Times, September 30, 2016

Bulgarian lawmakers have approved a law banning women from wearing Islamic veils in public. The law was proposed by the nationalist Patriotic Front coalition, whose co-leader Krasimir Karakachanov said that the ban was necessary for security reasons.

“The burqa is more a uniform than a religious symbol,” he said, reported AFP.

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Under the law, women who violate the ban face fines of up to 770 euros ($860) as well as a suspension of social benefits.

Approximately 10 per cent of Bulgaria’s 7.2 million population are Muslims.

Laws banning Islamic face veils including the burqa and niqab have also been banned in western European countries including France, Switzerland and Belgium. A series of terror attacks in Europe by Islamic State extremists and the refugee crisis have led to an increase in anti-Muslim rhetoric.