The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on Portugal’s parliament to reject an Islamophobic bill that would ban the wearing of the face veil.
Portugal approved a bill to ban face veils used for “gender or religious motives” in most public spaces that was proposed by the far-right Chega party and targets Muslim women. The bill is now set to be discussed in the parliamentary committee on Constitutional Affairs, Rights, Freedoms, and Guarantees, which is responsible for reviewing legislation related to constitutional affairs. [NOTE: Face veils are worn by a tiny minority of Muslim women.]
In a statement, Washington, D.C., based CAIR said:
“This discriminatory bill is a blatant violation of religious freedom and a disturbing attempt to police how Muslim women choose to express their faith. Banning face veils sets the precedent that the government has the right to pass laws regulating peaceful expressions of faith. We call for the rejection of this bill because it stigmatizes Muslim communities, emboldens far-right Islamophobic narratives and strips women of their agency. We also call on nations worldwide to resist the normalization of anti-Muslim bigotry disguised as secularism.”
He noted that CAIR previously condemned a similar ban in Italy.
SEE: CAIR Calls Italy’s Proposed Face Veil Ban an ‘Authoritarian, Bigoted’ Attack on Religious Freedom
In August, CAIR condemned as ‘discriminatory and authoritarian’ a proposal announced by Austria’s integration minister to ban Islamic head scarves, or hijab, for girls under the age of 14.
Earlier this year, CAIR said that Islamophobia is “spinning out of control” in Europe after a Muslim woman was murdered in Germany and a mosque was burned during anti-immigrant riots in Spain.
CAIR also condemned the attempted arson of a Muslim prayer room in Châtillon-sur-Seine, France.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com