Danish Muslims defy niqab ban

Hundreds of Muslim women in Denmark will defiantly wear niqabs when a nationwide ban on the face veil comes into action this week. 

 

 

Hundreds of Muslim women in Denmark will defiantly wear niqabs when a nationwide ban on the face veil comes into action this week. 

Fines of up to 10,000 Danish crowns (£1,200) have not discouraged women who plan to protest on Wednesday along with non-Muslim Danes. 

In May, Denmark became the fifth European nation to outlaw full-face veils. 

Under the law, police will be able to instruct women to remove their veils or order them to leave public areas.

Justice Minister Soren Pape Poulsen said officers would fine them and tell them to go home. 

Reuters reported that fines will range from 1,000 Danish crowns (£120) for a first offence to 10,000 crowns for a fourth violation. 

‘I won’t take my niqab off. If I must take it off I want to do it because it is a reflection of my own choice,’ said 21-year-old student Sabina, who wants to be a teacher. 

She will take to the streets for a rally with group Kvinder I Dialog (Women In Dialogue), who argue the right to express religious or cultural identity. 

Meryem, 20, also providing just her first name for fear of harassment, was born to Turkish parents in Denmark and has always worn the niqab. 

Around half a million are from Muslim backgrounds, a group that swelled with Afghan, Iraqi and Syrian refugees crossing Europe.