Austria 🇦🇹 face veil ban 🚫 'criminalises Muslim women'

Activists and experts condemned a law implemented in Austria on Sunday prohibiting the face veil as "counterproductive" and as an "attack on religious freedom".

The law, commonly known as the "Burqa ban," came into effect in advance of a general election on October 15, which could see the traditionally xenophobic far-right Freedom Party make gains. There are around 700,000 Muslims in the country.

Activists and experts have denounced the nature of the law as "counterproductive" and "Islamophobic".

Carla Amina Baghajati, a rights activist and spokeswoman for the Austrian Islamic Religious Authority, a public institution representing Muslims, says the law threatens the concept of an open society.

"They believe that they are 'freeing these women' and that they're taking action to secure the identity of Austria, but this is hypocritical as the idea of an open society is that everybody has the liberty to act and dress as they please as long as nobody else is harmed," Baghajati said.

"These ladies are being criminalised. Everybody thinks that they are victims, but you cannot be patronising them. They say that they do not want to be freed because they are already free and chose to wear the face veil," said Baghajati.

UCJ, UNILORIN.