Another European country is promoting a ban on wearing the burqa

Portugal is set to soon join the list of European countries that restrict the wearing of full-face veils in public, after its parliament approved a controversial bill banning face-concealing clothing in public spaces. The legislation, spearheaded by the conservative right-wing Chega party, specifically targets items of clothing such as the burqa and niqab, which cover all or part of the face.

The bill, which was approved in October, will impose fines of up to 4,000 euros (about NIS 15,000) on those who violate it, and prison sentences of up to three years on those who force another person to wear the garment or cover their face. The law includes exclusions for health, security, professional, artistic or entertainment purposes, as well as for places of worship, embassy buildings and airplanes.

Chega leader Andre Ventura claims the legislation is meant to protect women and preserve Portugal’s values, and says it ensures no female citizen should feel forced to wear a burqa. “Today we are defending the women members of parliament, your daughters, our daughters, from one day being forced to wear burqas in this country,” Ventura stated.

Support for the bill came from the center-right parties PSD, CDS-PP and Iniciativa Liberal, while left-wing parties, including the Socialist Party (PS), PCP and Bloco de Esquerda, opposed it. Critics claim that the measure particularly harms Muslim women, may lead to stigmatization and violates religious freedom. The Muslim population in Portugal is relatively small, and is estimated at about 0.4 percent of the population, or about 36,000 to 65,000 people, which emphasizes the largely symbolic nature of the legislation.

The law now awaits the signature of President Marcelo Rebelo de Souza, who can approve it, veto it or refer it to the Constitutional Court. If approved, Portugal will join France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and Denmark in enforcing a blanket ban on the full hijab, while other EU countries, including Italy, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands, have partial or limited bans in place.

While the law received widespread coverage on social media as a “total ban on Islam”, the Portuguese authorities stress that it applies only to the wearing of face veils in public spaces and does not infringe on the broad religious rights granted by the constitutions of Portugal and the European Union. However, experts warn that the measure could also affect tourism, as women wearing the burqa or niqab may reconsider their visit to Portugal due to legal and social risk.