Norway bans burqas and niqabs at schools
A ban on burqas and niqabs is set to come into force in schools in Norway after the country’s parliament passed a bill on the issue.
Students and teachers will no longer be able to wear the traditional Islamic clothing in places of education, or anything that partially or fully covers the face.
A similar measure banning all face coverings in public passed in Denmark last week.
Voting on the matter took place over the course of three days, with representatives from the Socialist Left, Red and Green parties opposing it.
The Socialist Left voted in favour of applying the ban to teaching staff but not to students but the bill was passed despite their opposition.
The anti-immigration Progress Party expressed its delight at the passing of the bill, saying the move was “very good news”.
“When Progress in 2003 proposed a total ban on the niqab and burqa, we were laughed at,” the party told Norwegian newspaper Bergens Tidende.
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“We see now that we have succeeded in bringing the political environment around to our viewpoint.”
The party suggested a total ban would come into force within a few years.
Several educational institutions in Norway opposed the measure, including the University of Bergen and Norwegian University of Science and Technology, who both described it as unnecessary.
