site.btaParliament Outlaws Clothing Fully or Partly Covering Person's Face

Parliament Outlaws Clothing Fully or Partly  Covering Person's Face

Sofia, September 30 (BTA) - The Bulgarian Parliament adopted on second reading a bill that outlaws clothing which covers a person's face fully or partly in public. The penalty was set at 200 leva, with repeat offenders facing a fine of 1,500 leva.

The Bill on Wearing Clothing that Covers or Conceals the Face was proposed by Krassimir Karakachanov of the Patriotic Front and a group of MPs.

After the title of the act was adopted, the MPs of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) walked out, with floor leader Mustafa Karadaya saying such bills harm the country's security instead of bolstering it. "These are the actions of radicals and xenophobes but GERB cannot hide behind their backs," he said, adding that the MRF would not be an accomplice to this act.

The ban on clothing covering a person's face does not extend to the places of worship of the registered religions or to cases when it is worn for health or professional reasons or as part of sporting, cultural, educational or similar activities.

The ban applies to clothes including veils, cloaks or masks covering the face fully or partly.

Yordan Tsonev MP of the MRF said the ban had nothing to do with national security but with Islamophobia. He argued that the bill is of a markedly political nature, divides society and instills religious intolerance.

Krassimir Velchev MP of GERB explained that the bill has nothing to do with headscarves, burqas or the traditional garments of the religious communities in Bulgaria and has been endorsed by the Chief Mufti's Office. He stressed that the bill is related to national security, adding that garments obscuring the eyes, nose and mouth would hamper video surveillance, which is instrumental in clearing 80 per cent of uncovered crimes.

Abu Melih MP of GERB noted that the burqa is not a religious garment but was used to distinguish between women of different classes in the Islamic Empire.

DOST leader Lyutvi Mestan called the ban "a Nazi rejection of cultural diversity in society". Independent MP Hyussein Hafuzov from Mestan's party added the bill aimed to restrict the wearing of religious clothes required by Islam.

Krassimir Karakachanov said the bill should help counter terror threats and attempts by certain groups to use one religion or another to stoke hatred and confrontation.