The Portuguese lawmakers passed a bill to bar the “concealment of faces in public spaces” in a bid to outlaw the Islamic practice of veiling women, which opponents have argued represents repression of women.
Legislation put forward by the populist right-wing Chega party was backed by centre-right parties, including the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Liberal Initiative (IL), and the CDS – People’s Party on Friday, the Jornal de Notícias reported.
This overcame opposition from the various leftist parties in the parliament, including the Portuguese Communist Party, which claimed that the bill came amid a campaign to “spread hate” against Muslim women, “as if they lacked the capacity to think and the right to decide.”
Chega leader André Ventura said on Friday: “Whoever arrives in Portugal, wherever they come from, whatever region they come from, whatever customs or religion they have, must above all comply with, respect, and ensure respect for the customs and values of this country.”
The populist firebrands said that women who are “forced to wear a burqa” are no longer free and independent but rather are relegated to becoming an “object”. Ventura also accused left-wing parties of “hypocrisy” for preaching about women’s rights while accepting a “culture that oppresses them.”
The Chega boss also noted that “several European countries have already moved to ban burqas in public spaces” and that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found that a similar law in France did not contravene the principles of the European Convention on Human Rights.
However, MP Andreia Galvão of the Left Bloc party claimed that the burqa ban “violates the constitutional principle of freedom, conscience, and religion” and argued that “the law already protects the right of every woman, indeed every person, to dress as they wish, without coercion”.
On the other side of the debate, MP Andreia Neto of the Social Democratic Party said that “defending women means defending their freedom, ensuring that no tradition, no imposition can erase their presence or limit their voice.”
Additionally, Chega MP Madalena Cordeiro declared that “this is not Bangladesh where they do whatever they want” and said that people should stop “pretending that all cultures are equal.”
The move from the Portuguese parliament, which still needs to be officially ratified before becoming law, comes in the wake of similar efforts in Italy. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party introduced legislation to ban the burqa as well as introducing measures to combat “Islamic separatism” and “counter-societies where Sharia law” dominates.
On top of prohibiting female face-coverings, it would also look to crack down on Islamist hate preaching, foreign funding of mosques, arranged marriages, child marriages, and virginity tests for Muslim brides.
France became the first European nation to ban full face coverings in public for women in 2011, and was followed by restrictions in others such as Austria, Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
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